Gov. Inslee to honor fallen Pierce County deputy for lives saved by organ donation

OLYMPIA, Wash. — A Pierce County deputy who was killed in the line of duty will be honored for the lives saved through his organ donations.

Deputy Dom Calata was killed during a SWAT operation last year. He was 35.

His organ and tissue donations saved the lives of four people, according to LifeCenter Northwest.

Calata is one of 261 donors set to be honored by Gov. Jay Inslee at the Capitol Building in Olympia on Thursday, Apr. 6.

Donor families will receive a Gift of Life Award signed by the governor.

Calata grew up in the Spanaway area and attended Bethel High School, where he graduated in 2004.

He graduated from Pacific Lutheran University in 2008 with a bachelor’s degree in political science and government.

Calata served in the U.S. Army, where he worked as a military intelligence analyst, and did tours in Afghanistan and Iraq. He also served in the Washington Army National Guard.

He served with the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department for 6.5 years. He was assigned to the Edgewood Police Department, which contracts PCSD deputies for its law enforcement.

He was a member of the sheriff’s department’s SWAT team for four years.

He leaves behind his wife, Erin and son, Dylan.

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