Police, Loved Ones Pay Tribute To Covina Motorcycle Officer Killed In Crash

COVINA (CBSLA.com) — It's been nearly a week since police Officer Jordan Corder, 28, died in a traffic accident and loved ones gathered Monday night to say goodbye.

Police officers, friends and family paid their respects at a viewing at Custer Christiansen Mortuary.

Corder was killed while on duty last Tuesday when his motorcycle collided with an SUV at an intersection in Covina. The officer was thrown from the motorcycle and died of his injuries.

The 75-year-old woman driving the SUV was treated for injuries and released from the hospital.

Corder's father is a retired Covina police captain who served 31 years for the city. He said Jordan wanted to follow in his footsteps and serve the community where he grew up.

"I was thrilled that he was coming to Covina because, ever since the time he was a baby in arms, he was familiar with the department and the people that work there," Mark Corder, Jordan's father, told CBS2's Rachel Kim.

"Mark and I have always had this fear that this day would come," Jordan's mother, Diane, said. "It doesn't make it any easier."

Mark and Diane said Jordan started his career with the La Verne Police Department. He was with them for two years before joining the Covina police force, where he served for seven years.

He was recently assigned to the traffic unit as a motorcycle officer this May. He's received numerous awards, including excellence in DUI enforcement.

"I knew how serious he took his job and I believe he did his job very well," Diane told Kim. "We love our son dearly. He was a great kid. He was a very honorable young man."

Meanwhile, Covina police Chief Kim Raney said Corder's death has been a blow to his 60-member force.

"It's tough, and it hurts. But you've got to be strong. This is a tough profession sometimes," Raney said. "The challenge with Jordan is he's been family. A lot of us here have grown up with his father and watched Jordan grow up. He was just hitting traction where he was really becoming a good police officer."

Raney said California Highway Patrol is investigating the crash.