William Eaton

Capt. William Eaton, a 21-year veteran of the Los Angeles Police Department and commander of its Van Nuys Division, has died after a short battle with cancer.

He was 44.

Eaton, who was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer in November, died Jan. 13.

He was determined to fight the disease and remained upbeat until the end, answering work e-mails, giving advice and doing as much as his illness would let him, said Deputy Chief Kirk Albanese, head of the Valley Bureau.

"He was still somewhat in the game," Albanese said. "He wanted to win. He wanted to beat it. He was such a big strong guy, I think it allowed him to last a little longer.

"His unexpected loss is felt by everyone in the department."

Eaton, who was appointed to the division in March 2009, is credited with improving community relations through meetings, fundraisers and his role on the Community Police Advisory Board.

"Before Bill, (CPABs) were kind of like informational meetings," said Don Schultz, public safety chair of the Van Nuys Neighborhood Council. "There wasn't nearly as much involvement from the community from those people who weren't appointed to the CPAB...as there was with Bill.

Eaton was responsible for starting a Van Nuys Boulevard cleanup effort, and was working to organize a CPAB committee that would involve high school students, Schultz said.

"He felt that LAPD should be out in the community," said Schultz, who has been involved with CPABs for 10 years. "Under his leadership, there were many more outreaches to the community than we have seen in the past.

"Hopefully it'll carry forward from here."

Eaton was also part of the team that coordinated the Special Olympics for several years, organizing the transportation of athletes to various events.

His efforts in community-oriented policing coincided with an 8 percent drop in crime in 2010 in the division, Albanese said.

Eaton was born in Santa Cruz on July 25, 1966, and joined the LAPD in 1989 after earning a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Cal State Sacramento. He earned a master's in the same field from Cal State Long Beach in 1993 while working patrol in Hollywood Area and Newton Divisions. He was also a graduate of the FBI National Academy.

He was a patrol sergeant and supervisor in Foothill and Hollywood divisions before becoming an Internal Affairs investigator, teaching courses to other law enforcement agencies across the U.S. He was promoted to lieutenant in 77th Street Division in 2001 and then oversaw Hollywood Vice Section.

In 2003, Eaton was appointed commanding officer of Professional Standards Bureau and was promoted to captain in 2006 after completing a tour as the officer-in-charge of the Ethics Enforcement Section.

"He was just a real easy person to get along with, just a sweetheart of a guy, just a big teddy bear," said Capt. Tia Morris, who along with Eaton, was commanding officer of Van Nuys Division. "Just a heart of gold. People loved him, from the officers to the detectives to the community. Everybody loved him."

He is survived by his wife Beth, who is a detective in Mission Division, and two sons, ages 7 and 9,

Funeral arrangements were pending.