A vehicle code violation is not a crime. The officer died because he participated in a very stupid action of stepping in front of a moving vehicle.
His surviving family members have a great civil claim against the government agency that employed him. It's a slam dunk.
I beg to differ with you. Having taken a course in CA Motor Vehicle Codes, I know that a violation of a vehicle code is a "crime". Perhaps not at the same level of, say, burglary, but it is still considered a crime. When an officer writes you a ticket (in CA at least) it is considered to be an arrest warrant, but in most cases the person is released ORO after signing the ticket as an indiction that they promise to appear in court. Try not signing that ticket and see what happens. With respect to this case, the woman violated the vehicle code, and when a duly sworn officer attempted to stop her, he was struck and killed. That means IMHO, that she committed manslaughter. Were this to have happen somewhere else (CA for example) she would not have received just a $310 fine.