Deputy Charlie Rottler graduated from Baldwin Park High School before meeting her husband. She had no aspirations to pursue a career in law enforcement. Her husband (another Charlie) took the written exam to become a Los Angeles Deputy Sheriff twice, but failed both times. She decided to take the exam to help her husband pass his third attempt. Except she passed, and was scheduled for an interview that afternoon. After talking it over with her husband, they decided she should go for it. She graduated from Academy Class 129 in June 1969, just ahead of her husband, who passed the written exam no doubt due to his excellent study help. A family debate from that point was which one of them was Charlie 1 and which was Charlie 2.

Deputy Rottler’s first assignment was in support at the San Dimas Station. She also worked at the Sybil Brand Institute for Women. In the summer of 1972, when women were first invited to work patrol, she volunteered. Along with 19 other women, she enrolled in the department’s new patrol school. After graduating in August, Deputy Rottler was assigned to the Altadena Station, becoming Altadena’a first female patrol deputy.

On November 5, 1972, at approximately 1 a.m., Deputy Sheriff Trainee Rottler and her partner Doug Oberholtzer were responding to a battery call. Deputy Oberholtzer was driving, riding in the backseat was reporter Bonnie Clary. As the patrol car approached an intersection just west of the Altadena Station, a drunk driver ran a stop sign and broadsided the patrol vehicle. Clary suffered a broken leg and Oberholtzer a broken bone on his hand, but Deputy Rottler’s injuries were catastrophic.

Initially, the responding firemen thought Deputy Rottler was dead and left her lying on the street for several minutes as they helped the passengers of both cars. When they realized their mistake, they rushed her to Huntington Memorial Hospital. She endured over 20 hours of surgery on that first day and was in a coma for the next month.

When Deputy Rottler finally woke up, she saw a candy striper sitting by her bed trying to read under the light of a weak lamp. Her first words were to suggest that the girl needed better light. Although beating the odds to survive the collision, Deputy Rottler’s injuries forced her to retire from the sheriff’s department in April 1974.

In 1996, the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Museum dedicated a display to the first women in patrol. Deputy Rottler attended the ceremony wearing the department-issued skirt and white blouse originally worn by female patrol deputies.

Deputy Rottler endured 55 major surgeries over the rest of her life trying to repair the injuries she sustained in 1972. She finally succumbed after the long, courageous battle on January 3, 2010, at the age of 68. Deputy Charlie Rottler is survived by her daughter Los Angeles firefighter/ paramedic Denise Rottler Alvarado, grandson Julian Conan Alvarado, granddaughter Veronnica Alvarado, son Gregory Rottler and grandsons Joshua and Sam Rottler.

In the early morning hours of July 29, 2002, Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Deputies pulled up on a suspicious vehicle.  A truck with license plates to another type of car pulled into the driveway of a home in southwest Modesto.  The truck then backed out, ramming the deputies’ patrol car, and sped off.  The patrol vehicle was damaged and unable to follow.
Officers spotted the suspect vehicle in the downtown area of Modesto going eastbound on Yosemite and followed it into the airport district.  A pursuit ensued and the 18-year-old suspect sped away eastbound on Mono Drive at estimated speeds of 60-65 miles per hour.

Modesto PD Sergeant Steve May, a 23 year veteran, was driving his patrol car south on S. Santa Cruz Ave. at 1:45 a.m. searching for the fleeing suspect.  While attempting to evade police, the suspect recklessly sped through a residential area, running multiple stop signs.  At the intersection of Mono and S. Santa Cruz the suspect struck Sgt. May’s patrol car.  The impact threw May’s car into a tree in front of a residence at 306 S. Santa Cruz.  The suspect was ejected from his vehicle when it struck the residence.  He died on scene.  A resident in the house sustained minor injury.

Sergeant May was trapped inside of his patrol car after it came to rest.  Modesto Police, Firefighters and Stanislaus County Consolidated Fire, worked to free him using the jaws of life.  AMR stood by, caring for May while waiting for him to be freed.  After being trapped approximately 40 minutes, Sgt. May was rushed to Memorial Medical Center suffering from major injuries including a fractured skull, fractures to his face and jaw, left clavicle, right forearm, and left leg.

Sergeant May never regained consciousness after the violent collision.  He was transported to a Bay Area rehabilitation hospital in September of 2002 and eventually moved to the Kindred Rehabilitation Hospital in downtown Modesto.  Steve May died on July 23, 2009 from complications resulting from injuries sustained in the 2002 collision.

Sgt. May is survived by his wife of 30 years, Diana May, and their two grown children, Corinne and Michael.  He also leaves behind his parents and sister.

Hundreds of law enforcement officers from around the state gathered with Sgt. May’s family at Modesto’s First Baptist Church on July 29, 2009, to honor their hero.

Following the memorial ceremony which included emotional tributes from acting Police Chief Mike Harden and former chief Roy Wasden, a long line of police cars and motorcycles, firetrucks, ambulances and private vehicles accompanied the hearse bearing May’s body through the streets of Modesto on its way to Lakewood Memorial Park – seven years to the day after the collision that ultimately took Sergeant May’s life.

March 21, 2009, will be remembered as one of the darkest days for law enforcement in the city of Oakland and throughout the state of California.  On that Saturday afternoon a chain of events started with a routine traffic stop in East Oakland and ended with five Oakland PD officers shot, four of them fatally.

At 1:05 p.m. OPD motor officer Sergeant Mark Dunakin stopped a Buick driven by Lovelle Mixon (26) in the 7400 block of MacArthur Boulevard.  Officer John Hege arrived on scene moments later.  Mixon opened fire on Dunakin and Hege with a handgun, striking both.  Before fleeing the scene, Mixon stood over the downed officers and fired again.

An intense manhunt by OPD, CHP, and Alameda County Sheriff’s Department ensued.  Soon after, OPD received an anonymous tip that the suspect was barricaded inside an apartment building on 74th Avenue.  After repeated attempts to communicate with Mixon failed, a SWAT team was sent in to apprehend him.  As SWAT officers made entry, Mixon opened fire with an assault rifle from behind a closet door, killing Sergeant Ervin Romans and Sergeant Daniel Sakai.  A third officer was wounded.  Officers returned fire and Mixon was killed.

Mixon had an extensive violent criminal history and was on parole for assault with a deadly weapon for armed robbery.  At the time of the incident he was wanted on a no-bail warrant.  Reportedly, just a day before the shootings Oakland police detectives had connected Mixon’s DNA to an unsolved child rape case.

Sergeants Dunakin, Romans, and Sakai passed away on March 21.  Officer Hege remained on life-support for two days pending organ donation, which ultimately saved the lives of four people.

A ten-year veteran of OPD, John Hege (41) was described as the first to respond to a call to assist another officer and a cop who kept an even keel interacting with people while policing the streets of Oakland.  “There are ways to talk to people,” said OPD spokesman Officer Jeff Thomason, “and he knew how to do it.”  Hege graduated from St. Mary’s College in Moraga and taught physical education at Tennyson High School in Hayward.  However, police work was his true vocation, said his father, John S. Hege of Piedmont.  “I think he was drawn to it…he wanted to be a policeman and it was a good life’s work for him.  He enjoyed it, and he made a lot of good friends in the Police Department.”  Hege transferred to the motor division – his dream assignment – on March 7, though he had completed training much earlier.  “He was getting ready to be transferred,” Thomason said, “but at the time he was a field training officer, so it went against him (to transfer) because he needed to be there to train all these new rookies.”  Hege is survived by his parents, Dr. John and Tamara Hege.

Friday, March 27, the four heroes were honored and memorialized.  An unprecedented 20,000 people gathered at Oracle Arena and the adjacent Oakland Coliseum to pay tribute to the fallen peace officers.  Law enforcement representing agencies from across the country and Canada joined family and friends of the honored officers and community members.  Dignitaries from every level of government were in attendance, including Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Lt. Governor John Garamendi, former mayor of Oakland and current state Attorney General Jerry Brown, U.S. senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, mayors from the cities of Sacramento, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Oakland, and members of the Oakland city council.

As the four flag-draped caskets lined the stage, the entire 815-member Oakland Police Department filled the front rows of the arena while officers from the CHP and neighboring cities patrolled the streets of Oakland.

“It is with heartfelt sadness, yet a sense of hope, that we gather today to honor the lives of our fallen brothers,” said Rev. Jayson Landeza, the Oakland police chaplain who opened the services with a prayer. “Whether from another part of the Bay Area or this great state or from another part of the nation, we are all one family that supports this family in this time of grief.”

Oakland PD Captain Ed Tracey, with his voice faltering, told the congregation that he supervised both the tactical teams and traffic units.  “These were my men.” he said simply.  “Please know that these officers died doing absolutely what they loved, being Oakland police officers, riding motors, kicking in doors, serving on SWAT.”  Tracey closed by giving thanks to Clarence Ellis, a 53-year-old retired bus driver who performed CPR on Dunakin before paramedics arrived.  “To the brave man who provided CPR to our fallen heroes, we thank you.  We thank you from the bottom of our heart.  Your actions let us know that day that they did not die in vain, that the people they were there to protect and serve were the ones who helped them.”

Acting Police Chief Howard Jordan, who assumed the post just three weeks before the tragedy, gave the families of each officer the flags that had covered their caskets.  A bugler sounded taps, and police bagpipers played “Amazing Grace.”  Outside the arena, officers stood at attention as their slain brothers received a 21-gun salute from military cannons.

March 21, 2009, will be remembered as one of the darkest days for law enforcement in the city of Oakland and throughout the state of California.  On that Saturday afternoon a chain of events started with a routine traffic stop in East Oakland and ended with five Oakland PD officers shot, four of them fatally.

At 1:05 p.m. OPD motor officer Sergeant Mark Dunakin stopped a Buick driven by Lovelle Mixon (26) in the 7400 block of MacArthur Boulevard.  Officer John Hege arrived on scene moments later.  Mixon opened fire on Dunakin and Hege with a handgun, striking both.  Before fleeing the scene, Mixon stood over the downed officers and fired again.

An intense manhunt by OPD, CHP, and Alameda County Sheriff’s Department ensued.  Soon after, OPD received an anonymous tip that the suspect was barricaded inside an apartment building on 74th Avenue.  After repeated attempts to communicate with Mixon failed, a SWAT team was sent in to apprehend him.  As SWAT officers made entry, Mixon opened fire with an assault rifle from behind a closet door, killing Sergeant Ervin Romans and Sergeant Daniel Sakai.  A third officer was wounded.  Officers returned fire and Mixon was killed.

Mixon had an extensive violent criminal history and was on parole for assault with a deadly weapon for armed robbery.  At the time of the incident he was wanted on a no-bail warrant.  Reportedly, just a day before the shootings Oakland police detectives had connected Mixon’s DNA to an unsolved child rape case.

Sergeants Dunakin, Romans, and Sakai passed away on March 21.  Officer Hege remained on life-support for two days pending organ donation, which ultimately saved the lives of four people.

Dan Sakai (35) signed up for the Oakland police recruit academy in 2000, and after graduation worked his way from patrol officer to canine handler, patrol rifle officer, academy firearms instructor, sergeant, and eventually SWAT team entry leader.  Sakai lived in Castro Valley with his wife, Jennifer, a UC Berkeley police officer, and their 3-year-old daughter, Jojiye.  His close friend and former partner, Officer Cesar Garcia said, “He was a great father and husband.  Probably the best day of his life was when his daughter was born. He was so excited.”  Sakai, who grew up in Big Bear Lake, moved up to the Bay Area to attend UC Berkeley, where he studied forestry and worked as a community service officer.  “Dan brought so much to life,” Garcia said.  “He was a person you looked up to.  He wanted to be the best he could be. He wanted to serve the community here in Oakland.  He loved being a police officer.”

Friday, March 27, the four heroes were honored and memorialized.  An unprecedented 20,000 people gathered at Oracle Arena and the adjacent Oakland Coliseum to pay tribute to the fallen peace officers.  Law enforcement representing agencies from across the country and Canada joined family and friends of the honored officers and community members.  Dignitaries from every level of government were in attendance, including Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Lt. Governor John Garamendi, former mayor of Oakland and current state Attorney General Jerry Brown, U.S. senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, mayors from the cities of Sacramento, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Oakland, and members of the Oakland city council.

As the four flag-draped caskets lined the stage, the entire 815-member Oakland Police Department filled the front rows of the arena while officers from the CHP and neighboring cities patrolled the streets of Oakland.

“It is with heartfelt sadness, yet a sense of hope, that we gather today to honor the lives of our fallen brothers,” said Rev. Jayson Landeza, the Oakland police chaplain who opened the services with a prayer. “Whether from another part of the Bay Area or this great state or from another part of the nation, we are all one family that supports this family in this time of grief.”

Oakland PD Captain Ed Tracey, with his voice faltering, told the congregation that he supervised both the tactical teams and traffic units.  “These were my men.” he said simply.  “Please know that these officers died doing absolutely what they loved, being Oakland police officers, riding motors, kicking in doors, serving on SWAT.”  Tracey closed by giving thanks to Clarence Ellis, a 53-year-old retired bus driver who performed CPR on Dunakin before paramedics arrived.  “To the brave man who provided CPR to our fallen heroes, we thank you.  We thank you from the bottom of our heart.  Your actions let us know that day that they did not die in vain, that the people they were there to protect and serve were the ones who helped them.”

Acting Police Chief Howard Jordan, who assumed the post just three weeks before the tragedy, gave the families of each officer the flags that had covered their caskets.  A bugler sounded taps, and police bagpipers played “Amazing Grace.”  Outside the arena, officers stood at attention as their slain brothers received a 21-gun salute from military cannons.

March 21, 2009, will be remembered as one of the darkest days for law enforcement in the city of Oakland and throughout the state of California.  On that Saturday afternoon a chain of events started with a routine traffic stop in East Oakland and ended with five Oakland PD officers shot, four of them fatally.

At 1:05 p.m. OPD motor officer Sergeant Mark Dunakin stopped a Buick driven by Lovelle Mixon (26) in the 7400 block of MacArthur Boulevard.  Officer John Hege arrived on scene moments later.  Mixon opened fire on Dunakin and Hege with a handgun, striking both.  Before fleeing the scene, Mixon stood over the downed officers and fired again.

An intense manhunt by OPD, CHP, and Alameda County Sheriff’s Department ensued.  Soon after, OPD received an anonymous tip that the suspect was barricaded inside an apartment building on 74th Avenue.  After repeated attempts to communicate with Mixon failed, a SWAT team was sent in to apprehend him.  As SWAT officers made entry, Mixon opened fire with an assault rifle from behind a closet door, killing Sergeant Ervin Romans and Sergeant Daniel Sakai.  A third officer was wounded.  Officers returned fire and Mixon was killed.

Mixon had an extensive violent criminal history and was on parole for assault with a deadly weapon for armed robbery.  At the time of the incident he was wanted on a no-bail warrant.  Reportedly, just a day before the shootings Oakland police detectives had connected Mixon’s DNA to an unsolved child rape case.

Sergeants Dunakin, Romans, and Sakai passed away on March 21.  Officer Hege remained on life-support for two days pending organ donation, which ultimately saved the lives of four people.

A decorated former Marine drill sergeant, Ervin Romans (43) joined Oakland PD in 1996.  In 1999 he received the department’s highest honor – the Medal of Valor – for helping save residents in a West Oakland fire.  He was promoted to sergeant in 2005 and worked narcotics and the crime-reduction team.  Romans taught hundreds of academy students about firearms and the use of nonlethal weapons.  “He was absolutely dedicated to the firearms instruction,” said Oakland police Capt. Ben Fairow. “He loved his job, he spent so many hours here.”  Romans was also a firing range master sergeant.  Mike Nichelini, now a motor officer for the Vallejo Police Department, was Romans’ partner for several years.  “He had an exterior of being all business.  He loved being on the SWAT team, and he taught everyone (weapons) tactics.  He was the most tactically sound guy I’ve ever worked with.” Nichelini said.  Romans lived in Danville with his wife, Laura, whom he recently married, and had three children – Kristina, Justin, and Kayla.

Friday, March 27, the four heroes were honored and memorialized.  An unprecedented 20,000 people gathered at Oracle Arena and the adjacent Oakland Coliseum to pay tribute to the fallen peace officers.  Law enforcement representing agencies from across the country and Canada joined family and friends of the honored officers and community members.  Dignitaries from every level of government were in attendance, including Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Lt. Governor John Garamendi, former mayor of Oakland and current state Attorney General Jerry Brown, U.S. senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, mayors from the cities of Sacramento, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Oakland, and members of the Oakland city council.

As the four flag-draped caskets lined the stage, the entire 815-member Oakland Police Department filled the front rows of the arena while officers from the CHP and neighboring cities patrolled the streets of Oakland.

“It is with heartfelt sadness, yet a sense of hope, that we gather today to honor the lives of our fallen brothers,” said Rev. Jayson Landeza, the Oakland police chaplain who opened the services with a prayer. “Whether from another part of the Bay Area or this great state or from another part of the nation, we are all one family that supports this family in this time of grief.”

Oakland PD Captain Ed Tracey, with his voice faltering, told the congregation that he supervised both the tactical teams and traffic units.  “These were my men.” he said simply.  “Please know that these officers died doing absolutely what they loved, being Oakland police officers, riding motors, kicking in doors, serving on SWAT.”  Tracey closed by giving thanks to Clarence Ellis, a 53-year-old retired bus driver who performed CPR on Dunakin before paramedics arrived.  “To the brave man who provided CPR to our fallen heroes, we thank you.  We thank you from the bottom of our heart.  Your actions let us know that day that they did not die in vain, that the people they were there to protect and serve were the ones who helped them.”

Acting Police Chief Howard Jordan, who assumed the post just three weeks before the tragedy, gave the families of each officer the flags that had covered their caskets.  A bugler sounded taps, and police bagpipers played “Amazing Grace.”  Outside the arena, officers stood at attention as their slain brothers received a 21-gun salute from military cannons.

March 21, 2009, will be remembered as one of the darkest days for law enforcement in the city of Oakland and throughout the state of California.  On that Saturday afternoon a chain of events started with a routine traffic stop in East Oakland and ended with five Oakland PD officers shot, four of them fatally.

At 1:05 p.m. OPD motor officer Sergeant Mark Dunakin stopped a Buick driven by Lovelle Mixon (26) in the 7400 block of MacArthur Boulevard.  Officer John Hege arrived on scene moments later.  Mixon opened fire on Dunakin and Hege with a handgun, striking both.  Before fleeing the scene, Mixon stood over the downed officers and fired again.

An intense manhunt by OPD, CHP, and Alameda County Sheriff’s Department ensued.  Soon after, OPD received an anonymous tip that the suspect was barricaded inside an apartment building on 74th Avenue.  After repeated attempts to communicate with Mixon failed, a SWAT team was sent in to apprehend him.  As SWAT officers made entry, Mixon opened fire with an assault rifle from behind a closet door, killing Sergeant Ervin Romans and Sergeant Daniel Sakai.  A third officer was wounded.  Officers returned fire and Mixon was killed.

Mixon had an extensive violent criminal history and was on parole for assault with a deadly weapon for armed robbery.  At the time of the incident he was wanted on a no-bail warrant.  Reportedly, just a day before the shootings Oakland police detectives had connected Mixon’s DNA to an unsolved child rape case.

Sergeants Dunakin, Romans, and Sakai passed away on March 21.  Officer Hege remained on life-support for two days pending organ donation, which ultimately saved the lives of four people.

Mark Dunakin (40) joined the Oakland Police Department in 1991.  He served several years in criminal investigations and homicide, and taught academy recruits the intricacies of homicide and robbery investigations.  In 1996 he transferred to the traffic motor squad and competed with the motorcycle drill team.  Prior to that he worked for the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department as a technician at Santa Rita.  Friends and colleagues say Dunakin was a man devoted to his wife, Angela (a former Alameda County sheriff’s deputy); and children, Anthony, 15, Sienna, 13, and Patrick, 8, and equally dedicated to making Oakland a safer place.  Dunakin is also survived by his parents David and Karen Dunakin; and brother Christopher Dunakin and wife Shannon.

Friday, March 27, the four heroes were honored and memorialized.  An unprecedented 20,000 people gathered at Oracle Arena and the adjacent Oakland Coliseum to pay tribute to the fallen peace officers.  Law enforcement representing agencies from across the country and Canada joined family and friends of the honored officers and community members.  Dignitaries from every level of government were in attendance, including Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Lt. Governor John Garamendi, former mayor of Oakland and current state Attorney General Jerry Brown, U.S. senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, mayors from the cities of Sacramento, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Oakland, and members of the Oakland city council.

As the four flag-draped caskets lined the stage, the entire 815-member Oakland Police Department filled the front rows of the arena while officers from the CHP and neighboring cities patrolled the streets of Oakland.

“It is with heartfelt sadness, yet a sense of hope, that we gather today to honor the lives of our fallen brothers,” said Rev. Jayson Landeza, the Oakland police chaplain who opened the services with a prayer. “Whether from another part of the Bay Area or this great state or from another part of the nation, we are all one family that supports this family in this time of grief.”

Oakland PD Captain Ed Tracey, with his voice faltering, told the congregation that he supervised both the tactical teams and traffic units.  “These were my men.” he said simply.  “Please know that these officers died doing absolutely what they loved, being Oakland police officers, riding motors, kicking in doors, serving on SWAT.”  Tracey closed by giving thanks to Clarence Ellis, a 53-year-old retired bus driver who performed CPR on Dunakin before paramedics arrived.  “To the brave man who provided CPR to our fallen heroes, we thank you.  We thank you from the bottom of our heart.  Your actions let us know that day that they did not die in vain, that the people they were there to protect and serve were the ones who helped them.”

Acting Police Chief Howard Jordan, who assumed the post just three weeks before the tragedy, gave the families of each officer the flags that had covered their caskets.  A bugler sounded taps, and police bagpipers played “Amazing Grace.”  Outside the arena, officers stood at attention as their slain brothers received a 21-gun salute from military cannons.

On Thursday January 29, 2009, at approximately 2000 hours, Tulare County Deputy Sheriff Sergeant Greg Hernandez was involved in a collision with a big rig near the town of Orosi while responding to backup a fellow deputy.

Shortly before the crash, a deputy had called for backup in the area of Lawrence Avenue and Road 57 after encountering four people about to fight.  Sgt. Hernandez was responding Code 3 when the collision occurred.  The driver of the big rig was southbound on Road 120 when he stopped at Road 400 for a 4-way stop then proceeded through the intersection.  Hernandez entered the intersection, colliding with the big rig.

Hernandez was flown by helicopter to Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno in critical condition.  He remained in a coma and on life support until he succumbed to his injuries on Friday, February 6, 2009.

Sgt. Hernandez, age 50, leaves behind his 14-year old daughter Kristina, his mother Rosa, two brothers and four sisters.

The afternoon of February 13, Sgt. Hernandez was honored and memorialized at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Visalia.  Over 1500 people packed the church to pay tribute to a devoted son and father, a friend and co-worker with a big heart and penchant for practical jokes – a natural leader who died doing the job he loved.

“We’re just all so sad here today as we gather to honor one of our own,” Tulare County Sheriff Bill Wittman said in his eulogy of Hernandez.  Wittman said the day marked an important period of grieving for one of the department’s most beloved and irreplaceable members.

Throughout his 24-year career Hernandez worked almost every division of the department, including patrol, narcotics, and as hostage negotiator.  He was remembered as the ideal supervisor and mentor – strict, and leading by example.  But he was also known as a jokester who would crank call deputies who were filling out paperwork on the final minutes of their watch.  “He’d do it five or six times before you could hear him laughing in the background,” Deputy Gabe Galvy said. “Basically he was a big clown.”

However, it was his calm demeanor that made him a first class hostage negotiator who trained law enforcement throughout California, recalled Sheriff Wittman.  In January 2006, Hernandez talked down a suspect in an Exeter bank robbery and subsequent 10-hour police standoff.  The suspect released seven hostages and surrendered.  His work that night “was just magic,” Wittman said. “I absolutely saw a work of magic.”

With grace and courage beyond her 14 years, Kristina Hernandez addressed the capacity crowd to talk about her dad.  She said in her eulogy that her father was as devoted to his colleagues as he was to his loved ones.  “He said that law enforcement was just another family that God had given him.  Not having him here is something I never imagined…His love is just like the wind – you can’t see it, but you can feel it.”

Her closing remarks brought welcome laughter from the audience.  “He was a hero, a protector, and for sure a stud.  As we say goodbye to him today, 402 is going home.”

On Monday, December 15, 2008, at approximately 4:30 a.m., CHP Officer Joseph P. Sanders of Santa Fe Springs Area was struck by a car while laying a flare pattern in heavy rain. He was life-flighted to USC Medical Center in Los Angeles, where he succumbed to his injuries a short time later.

Officer Sanders, age 29, was at the scene of a collision on eastbound State Route 60, near Azusa Avenue, in the city of Hacienda Heights, when a vehicle not associated with the original collision struck a third vehicle, which went out of control and struck him.  The driver was charged and convicted of involuntary manslaughter for driving unsafely, which ultimately resulted in the death of Officer Sanders.

An Iraq veteran, Sanders served in the Marine Corps from 1997 through 2006. He leaves behind his expectant wife Tondria and four young children, his parents, and two sisters.

Growing up, Sanders had a relative who worked as a groundskeeper at the CHP Academy in West Sacramento. That exposure to law enforcement inspired the Galt High School graduate to become a patrolman. At the time of his death, Officer Sanders was about to mark his first year with the CHP. After graduation from the Academy in December 2007, he was assigned to Santa Fe Springs Area and was planning to transfer to the Modesto Area April 1, 2009, to be closer to family in his childhood hometown of Galt.

On the morning of December 22, law enforcement officers from across the state and as far away as Texas joined the family of Officer Joseph Sanders to memorialize their fallen hero.

CHP Commissioner Joseph Farrow addressed the large congregation at Elk Grove’s First Baptist Church and spoke directly to Tondria Sanders, “Remember when you told me that you have a big family? Well, look around this room now, and you can see that your family got a whole lot bigger.”

Speakers at the funeral addressed Sanders’ character and dedication to the CHP and his family. “His life was a gift, and he lived it to the fullest,” Pastor Jay Stevans said.

Officer Sanders was the third officer from the Santa Fe Springs station in the past four years to die in the line of duty, his supervisor Capt. Daniel Minor said. Minor told the audience, “Joe died doing what he absolutely loved doing.”

Southern Division Chief Warren Stanley recalled visiting Tondria Sanders with Capt. Minor to inform her of Sanders death. There was a moment when Stanley felt Tondria’s 10-month-old son Silas tugging at his leg. As he picked Silas up he wondered how the boy would make it through the loss of his father. “I know he is going to be okay, because Tondria, you are so strong,” Stanley said.

On the afternoon of November 12, Deputy Lawrence W. Canfield (43) was conducting traffic enforcement near Coloma Road and Sierra Madre Court in Rancho Cordova. Canfield, a 13 year veteran, had been assigned to the Rancho Cordova Police Department’s motorcycle unit for the past four years.

Canfield was travelling eastbound on Coloma when he spotted a speeding motorist by LIDAR. As he was in pursuit of the speeder with lights/sirens, a car travelling westbound turned left directly into Canfield’s path. Deputy Canfield was thrown from his motor and likely died instantly.

The 79-year-old man driving the car that hit Deputy Canfield was detained and released as there was no “significant criminality” on his part. The driver had immediately stopped to provide aid along with other witnesses.

Deputy Canfield was transported to Mercy San Juan Hospital in Carmichael where he was pronounced deceased. He is survived by his wife Michelle and their two sons Tylor (12 years) and Bryce (10 years). Canfield is also survived by his father, Bob Canfield, and siblings Shane, Mark, and Tia. Canfield served in the U.S. Army and was a second-generation law enforcement officer…his father is a retired Sergeant from Sacramento County Sheriff’s Dept.

First Baptist Church of Elk Grove was filled to capacity on the morning of November 20 as more than 2,000 people came to pay their respects to Larry Canfield.

The service held all the formality and honor of a peace officer’s funeral, but it was also filled with laughter as friends spoke of Canfield’s love for his family, dedication to his job, wicked sense of humor, and trademark unlit cigar.

Canfield’s childhood friends said his history with law enforcement started long before Canfield was sworn in as a deputy. In their teens, the friends were chased by police for their mischief. Jimmy Stemler, a Clovis firefighter, joked that he felt comfortable sharing the potentially incriminating stories with an audience of cops because Sheriff John McGinness had assured him the statute of limitations had surely expired.

Sheriff McGinness told mourners that Canfield ultimately lost his life doing what he loved to do and asked those grieving to take comfort in knowing that Canfield pursued and achieved his dreams. “He was a good and honorable man” who had shown fidelity to his family, his country, his department, chosen profession and the community he served.

Deputy Scott Padgett, Canfield’s patrol partner and “wingman” said, “I lost a piece of me along with my dear friend that day, that day I will hate forever.”

The last to address the congregation was Michelle Canfield, who spoke with humor and composure. “There wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do for his family or his friends,” she said, adding that her husband had left her with two wonderful sons who will always remind her of him. She expressed gratitude for the support their family has received. “There are no words to describe the cold feeling and the terror when you hear the news,” Michelle said “but I know we are so loved.”

The three-hour service ended with the static of a radio dispatcher’s attempts to raise “5Mary5,” Canfield’s call sign. First met with silence then Padgett – “5Mary10” – radioed the dispatcher to say his partner was “End of Watch.”

A procession six miles long accompanied Canfield’s body to Galt Arno Cemetery, where he will be interred with his mother. At the cemetery, a 21-gun salute, bagpipes, a bugler’s taps, and a riderless horse paid homage to Canfield. Seven helicopters flew over, one veering to the west in “missing man” formation.

A memorial fund has been established for the Canfield family:

Sacramento County Deputy Sheriffs’ Association
Larry Canfield Memorial Fund
c/o Exchange Bank 1420 Rocky Ridge Drive, Suite 190
Roseville, CA 95661

Acct # 1205001934
Routing Number: 121101985