Rose Marie Ware, a popular Sacramento Police Department detective, recruiter and community resources officer who retired last year after being diagnosed with cancer, died Monday in her South Land Park home.

She was 47.

A native of Sacramento and 1971 graduate of C.K. McClatchy High School, she was a single mother when she joined the Police Department in 1980.

Her photograph appears in department recruiting brochures, and she was seen regularly on CrimeAlert public service announcements on local TV stations.

Assigned to recruiting duty, seeking a more diverse pool of applicants, she once set up a recruiting table at a rap concert, Capt. Rickey Jones said.

As a community resources officer, she spoke at city schools about the danger of drug use. She also helped residents establish Neighborhood Watch groups.

“She treated everybody the same, whether it was a crook or somebody in the department,” Jones said. “She would treat everybody with respect.”

She attended Washington State University for four years before applying to the Sacramento Police Department. After the Police Academy, she worked as a community services officer.

“She had a really good head on her shoulders,” said Detective Linda Kerchivel, who was her patrol training officer.

“She was more mature, a little bit older than the recruits we were getting,” Kerchivel said. “She was a little bit more in touch with life.”

Flossie Crump, a retired detective, remembered her friend as someone who always looked for the best in people.

“Rose could be compassionate and sensitive, and she could be tough,” Crump said. “She could handle herself verbally, physically, emotionally and mentally. In a diverse situation, she was a very diverse person.”

Crump also remembered her loyalty.

“With Rose, what you see is what you get. She didn’t change attitudes and friends whenever the wind would shift. She was steadfast.”

She was an active member of the Capitol City Seventh-day Adventist Church, where she was a youth leader and mentor.

As a detective, Mrs. Ware was tenacious and thorough, combining communications skills with investigative abilities, Jones said.

In some ways she was an anomaly, Kerchivel said.

“I don’t think I ever heard her cuss, which is really rare for a cop. She was very religious and always let her faith shine through but never tried to force it on others.

“And she was meticulous about her appearance,” Kerchivel said. “She always looked beautiful, to the end.”

Survivors include two children with her former husband, Ted Ware. They are a daughter, Jasmine Ware, 21, a college student who works as a youth aide at the Police Department; son, Brooks Ware, 15, a student at Sacramento Adventist Academy; her mother, Dorothy Newson of Sacramento; a sister, Brenda Field; and a brother, Irrin Newson.

A viewing is scheduled from noon until 5 p.m. Sunday at Thompson Funeral Home, 3601 Fifth Ave. Services are set for1 p.m. Monday in St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church, 3996 14th Ave.

Source:  Sacramento Bee, The (CA) – Tuesday, September 28, 1999