In Memory of Lieutenant Frank Arnold

California Lieutenant Dies From COVID

On Friday, January 22, 2021, California officials briefed the public that a state officer had died due to COVID19. Lieutenant Frank Arnold, age 65, had been a law enforcement officer for 40 years. He spent his life in civil service, his most recent assignment with the Office of Protective Services. It was determined that he had likely become infected with the virus during his duties through contact tracing.

Lt. Arnold began his career in law enforcement more than 40 years ago. He started with the Tulare County Sheriff’s office as a deputy. Arnold worked for the department for twenty years. During his time with the sheriff’s office, he held various posts, including SWAT and homicide detective.

Friend and coworker Skiles stated this about working with Lt. Arnold. He was very dedicated to his job; he was very dedicated to his family. So, he did a lot for the citizens of Tulare County through his time in law enforcement. Very proud of that guy, and he’s going to be missed.”

It is not known how Lt. Arnold came into contact with COVID19. His most recent assignment was at the Porterville Developmental Center. The family was struck hard by the ravages of this virus. Lt. Arnold’s wife also contracted the virus and died.

California Department of Developmental Services

For the last eight years, Lt. Arnold was assigned to the California Department of Developmental Services’ office of protective services. The CDDS is a state agency that provides necessary assistance to many California residents. The headquarters for the agency is located in Sacramento.

Often this department and its employees, including Lt. Frank Arnold, step in to provide health and human services to individuals in need. They offer extended services to all California residents with developmental disabilities, such as autism, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, intellectual disability, or age-related or other health conditions that make these individuals especially vulnerable. The state-level agency has 21 regional offices across the state.

Office of Protective Services

As a law enforcement officer, Lt. Frank Arnold worked within the Office of Protective Services’ division. OPS are officers who have specialized training in dealing with the disabled. They provide services throughout the Developmental Services Community. Duties could be in providing security to the agency’s developmental centers and community facilities. When someone with a severe disability was having difficulties, it was officers like Lt. Arnold. He would make sure that the individual was brought into safety or helped with additional services.

The agency’s posted mission statement: “Revolutionizing protective services to preserve safety & quality of life, through evolving relationships with those in the developmental services community. They list three primary values as Transparency, Integrity, and Expertise. “In choosing the values we wished to embody, the Strategic Planning Committee opted for a simpler approach. The values we chose, Transparency, Integrity, Expertise, embody many of the value-options we considered. One side-benefit of our selection is that the words spell-out ‘T.I.E.,’ making it easy for everyone to remember our departmental values. ‘Remember to Wear your T.I.E.’”

Remembrances

Both Lt. Frank Arnold and his wife passed away from the virus. They leave behind two sons and four grandchildren. One son currently works for Tulane’s District Attorney Office. It is a tragedy that so many families with young children are losing the very leaders in their family that could provide them with the guidance they need for their futures. It will take communities everywhere, including law enforcement officers, to step into this role and help develop many children’s future.

The Department of Developmental Services issued a brief statement about the loss of Lt. Arnold. “The Department of Developmental Services offers our deepest sympathies to the Arnold family and friends on the recent passing of Lieutenant Frank Arnold. In 2013, Lieutenant Arnold joined the Office of Protective Services (OPS) family as an Investigator. In 2016, Lieutenant Arnold was promoted to Lieutenant, where he served as both the Administrative and Investigations manager. OPS provides specialized law enforcement services to individuals within the Developmental Services community. Lieutenant Arnold had a passion for his chosen profession and a sincere dedication to helping others. Lieutenant Frank Arnold is survived by his two sons (Frank Jr. and John) and four grandchildren. Our thoughts and prayers are with them during this incredibly difficult time.”

Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux commented about the loss of a former coworker and friend. He spoke highly of the decades of civil service that Lt. (then Detective) Arnold had given to the entire county of Tulare. “Detective Arnold was just a man of integrity and well-known, well-liked. I think it hits us all hard in the fact that this is an invisible enemy, and anyone is prone to it.”