DSO Michael Wall Dies in Line of Duty, first in the L.A. County Probation Department Since DPO Arnold Garcia in 1994

On Friday, April 30, 2021, AFSCME Local 685 Member DSO Michael Wall, a loving father and brother, who was a 14-year veteran of the L.A. County Probation Department, was on duty at Central Juvenile Hall. Shortly after physically restraining a youth who led a group attack on another minor, DSO Wall went in pursuit of two youth involved in the assault. The youth ran out the classroom and into the open field in front of the school.

“While in pursuit, DSO Wall began to experience medical distress,” said Local 685 Institutions VP Sr. DSO Eric Walton. "DSO Dollberry recognized DSO Wall was in distress and caught him just as he collapsed, preventing him from hitting his head on the pavement. A collaborative effort of labor, including AFSCME Local 685’s and SEIU Local 721’s DSOs, SDSOs, and nursing performed 8 cycles of CPR in attempt to preserve and revive DSO Wall.” DSO Wall was transported to the hospital where he underwent emergency surgery and subsequently passed away.

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family of DSO Michael Wall,” said Local 685 President Hans Liang immediately following DSO Wall’s passing. “Wall’s death really illustrates the difficult and challenging work Local 685 members do every day to ensure the safety of the youth in our care.”

Within hours of DSO Wall’s passing, Local 685 President Hans Liang quickly called an emergency Executive Board meeting and dispatched DPO Maryam Munir and Cookie Lommel to Central Juvenile Hall to support members who were in distress. There was a great deal of interaction to encourage the staff to speak with the therapist who had come to the facility from The Dorothy Kirby Center. President Liang spoke with Chief Gonzalez and, with the assistance of Camps VP Stacy Ford, requested that all the flags at the Camps and Halls be lowered.

As word spread of Wall’s passing through social media, probation departments across California began sending messages of condolences to President Liang and the members to be passed on to the DSO Wall’s family.

Field Vice President Dwight Thompson reached out to DSO Wall’s family, initially seeking to organize a procession from the hospital to the funeral home; however, there was not enough time to make this happen. This subsequently evolved into Local 685 actively coordinating the procession for the funeral, which – at the time of writing – includes the Fire Department, the Sheriff’s Department. Additional labor and law enforcement groups may be added.

In the immediate aftermath of the incident, there was much misinformation. Institutions VP Sr. DSO Eric Walton began investigating and gathering all the information concerning the step-by-step of movement of exactly what happened as he knew our members would want to have a full understanding of what took place. Staff were full of questions because they were concerned about safety issues, including what DSO Wall had been doing prior to his sudden death. President Liang responded to questions from members by posting a statement on social media, updating it as additional information was verified.

President Liang and First Vice President Eddie Chism met with members at Central Juvenile Hall on Saturday and encouraged them to interact with available therapists as needed. Cookie Lommel contacted the Board of Supervisors with a request to adjourn today’s Board of Supervisors Meeting in memory of DSO Michael Wall as a fallen officer.

Stewards Chair Mike Davis, who has a close relationship to numerous other California probation associations and departments throughout the State, kept our Sisters and Brothers informed of the situation. Kern, San Bernardino, Ventura, San Diego, and Orange Counties have all committed to attending the funeral and participating in the procession. The Sacramento Probation Department has committed to sending their own color guard for DSO Wall’s funeral, specifically noting their desire to actively to support a fallen officer who died in the line of duty.

DSO Wall’s family has released the following funeral information:

May 26, 2021, starting at 10:00 AM
Christ Second Baptist Church
1471 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave.
Long Beach, CA 90813
Forest Lawn Cypress
4471 Lincoln Ave.
Cypress, Ca 90630