OFFICER JACK W. TIPTON

BADGE 219, ID 1973

SDPD 10/20/1961 - 09/30/1988

05/23/1933 - 08/24/1996

THE THIN BLUE LINE

Jack Willard Tipton longtime San Diego police officer, veteran of the Korean War 

Jack W. Tipton, a retired San Diego police patrol officer whose role in a high-speed chase earned him one of his department's most prestigious awards, died Saturday, August 24, 1996. He was 63.

Mr. Tipton died of complications from a heart ailment while en route to Grossmont Hospital from his home in Lakeside.

He worked 27 years in the San Diego Police Department, primarily in patrol in the Central Division, before retiring because of ill health in December 1988.

In 1978, he was one of four San Diego police officers to receive the Metro Service Award for pursuing and later apprehending armed suspects in a chase that began in Hillcrest and ended on westbound Interstate 8.

Several shots were fired in the pursuit, which resulted in the death of a suspect.

Mr. Tipton also was awarded the Commanding Officer Citation for outstanding performance as a watch commander in the Central Division. 

A native of Marshall, N.C., Mr. Tipton moved to San Diego in 1959 and worked for the Convair Division of General Dynamics before beginning his career in law enforcement.

He served in the Korean War during four years in the Navy, from 1951 to 1955. He was stationed at various times in Japan, Korea and San Diego.

Mr. Tipton attended a business school in Asheville, N.C., after his release from active duty. He then settled in San Diego and lived for the last 20 years in East County.

An avid hunter of deer, duck, doves, pheasant and quail, Mr. Tipton took pride in his extensive gun collection. He also collected knives and enjoyed playing cards, watching baseball and taking regular walks around Lake Jennings near his home.

Mr. Tipton was a member of the National Rifle Association and the San Diego Police Officers Association.

Survivors include his wife, Lucy; two daughters, Vicenta Tipton, of Pacific Beach, and Cynthia Tipton, of Lemon Grove; two sons, Fred, of Lakeside, and Andrew, of Point Loma; a sister, Betty Sue Dillingham, of Barnardsville, N.C.; two brothers, Jerry Tipton and Bobby Dale Tipton, both of Marshall, N.C., and four grandchildren.

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