From Bend to La Mesa: Officer Lauren Craven’s legacy of service and courage lives on
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- A Bend native who dedicated her life to helping others died doing just that. La Mesa Police Officer Lauren Craven was struck and killed late Monday night in Southern California while assisting victims of a rollover crash — a heroic act that has left her Central Oregon hometown heartbroken and inspired condolences from across the country.
Late Monday night, the 25-year-old was helping people involved in a rollover crash in the Southern California city of La Mesa when she was struck and killed by another driver.
Friends and family say she will be remembered as a shining example of what anyone can achieve through determination and compassion. A Summit High School graduate and Bend native, Lauren was determined to join law enforcement after having both positive and negative interactions with police officers.
Her father, David Craven, said her personality made her perfect for the job. “She brought de-escalation skills along with compassion to the force, and that was a powerful set of tools to turn difficult situations that could have gone violent into something that was resolved peacefully,” he said.
After struggles and setbacks in her personal life, Lauren seemed to hit her stride once she found her love for law enforcement. Her father told her, “You just took your biggest fear and turned it into motivation. There’s nothing going to stop you.”
It took her a couple of tries, but at just 25 years old, she graduated from the La Mesa Police Academy and began serving her community. David said, “I try not to focus on the five or so decades that she should have had left. I try to focus on that journey and how happy she became, the deep friendships she developed.”
Family friend Hans Jorgensen said he was honored to help her get into the field. “She’s an icon of what can happen and what an individual can accomplish if they just commit,” he said.
Those closest to her said it was never easy, yet Lauren represented the very best in law enforcement. Jeanne Lalich said that wanting to make a difference wasn’t just a cliché for her; the passion she had for serving her community wasn’t just something you say to get into the academy—it was who Lauren embodied.
Her father hopes this tragedy will inspire others to be their best, “I hope not just for people joining the police force, but for anybody who’s had a difficult experience of any kind to say, well, she did this. What about me? What can I do that, too?”
