Anaheim Police Department

David S. Severson, 58

David  S. Severson, 58, of Osage Beach, Mo., passed away Thursday, July 21, 2011, at his home surrounded by family, friends and neighbors.

Dave was born July 31, 1952, in Santa Monica, Calif., the son of the late Stanley Severson and Luella Severson.

Dave and his family moved here from the Southern California area in August of 2004.  There, he started his 31-year career in law enforcement at the age of 21 when he was hired as a rookie police officer for the city of Garden Grove, Calif. In 1978, he did a lateral move to Anaheim Police Department as a police officer. There, he worked and promoted through the divisions and ranks of the department to retire in 2002 as a captain. Dave received his master's degree from Newport University in Southern California and was a graduate of the FBI National Academy.

Dave was a Rotarian both in Anaheim and here with the Camdenton Rotary and believed in this organization’s promotion of local and international support and its valued fellowship among members.  In Dave’s spare time, he enjoyed tending to his Koi Pond, boating, traveling with family and friends, reading, The History Channel and movies.

Dave was hired in August of 2005 as the director of public safety for the City of Osage Beach. He was  honored to serve the citizens of Osage Beach and to work with the surrounding public safety community until his retirement this June. 

Dave is survived by his wife, Laura, of 37 years; two sons: Eric, a U.S. Naval Helicopter Pilot currently serving in Afghanistan, and Jeff, currently a junior at Missouri University of Science and Technology, in Rolla, studying chemical engineering; a sister, Virgene Severson, and nephew, Daniel Allen, of Washington state (Seattle area); a brother, Scott Severson, his wife, Catalina, and nephew, Patrick, of Covina, Calif. Brothers-in-law; a sister-in-law and niece, all of Redding, Calif. 

The family will receive friends and community for visitation Thursday, July 28, 2011, from 2-5 p.m. at Hedges-Scott Funeral Home, Osage Beach. Burial will be in Fullerton, Calif.

In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that donations be made to either of the following: Citizens Against Domestic Violence (CADV) Camdenton or Police Special Projects (Scholarships) in care of the City of Osage Beach.

Expressions of sympathy may be forwarded to the family at www.hedgesscottfuneralhomes.com.

Arrangements have been placed under the care of Hedges-Scott Funeral Home, Osage Beach, Mo.

Anaheim officer honored as talented, 'goofy' - Orange County Register

ANAHEIM – Police officer Brian W. Hayes was remembered Saturday as a natural leader who took his job seriously and excelled in law enforcement but refused to take himself seriously and had a knack for cracking up friends and colleagues.

"He was as complex a man as he was simple and goofy," Anaheim Police Chief John Welter said.

Hayes was honored at a memorial service Saturday at Calvary Chapel East Anaheim attended by about 1,000 people, including family, friends and a uniformed police honor guard of 18 officers from Anaheim, Irvine, Costa Mesa and Simi Valley.

Hayes, 35, was off duty July 17, headed home from a vacation with his girlfriend, when the plane he was piloting crashed and came to a rest upside down at the end of a runway in Winslow, Ariz.

Hayes and his girlfriend, Nicole Anderson, 32, an officer with the Simi Valley Police Department, died in the crash.

Hayes had a long history with the Anaheim Police Department, first serving as an Explorer at age 13. After graduating from Villa Park High School, he joined the force full-time in 1999, serving as a patrol officer, traffic investigator and detective.

His dad, Judge W. Michael Hayes, had served as a reserve officer with Anaheim when Hayes was a child.

Hayes and his father had a close bond. As an investigator, the younger Hayes seemed to know just about every obscure law because of his dad's law career.

Friends recalled coming over to Hayes' home and often seeing father and son play wrestling.

Steve Peña, a childhood friend and fellow officer, said he remember Brian saying the Harry Chapin's "Cats in the Cradle" – about a father who never had time for his son and, later, a son who couldn't make time for dad – was their song.

"That didn't seem to be about them at all," Peña said. "But then I realized what he meant. It was an unspoken pact – that that would never be them."

Hayes' outgoing style helped him communicate well with colleagues and crime victims. But it also helped him let loose after work. He was unafraid to embarrass himself with a "booty shake," a trademark belly-roll dance or to sing off-key karaoke at full volume.

His natural skills in electronics helped improve computer and communications systems in the department. He also used those skills to install electronic "annoy-atrons" inside detective's desks, prompting them to search, sometimes for days, for the source of that annoying squeaking or buzzing sound.

Congressional Record

California's Megan's Law

Career Criminal Apprehension Program, Annual Report

Electronic Crime Needs Assessment for State and Local Law Enforcement

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Police Department