Rialto police officer Sergio Carrera Jr. (29) was shot and killed on the morning of October 18th during a raid for illegal drugs. The incident began about 7 a.m. when SWAT teams from the Colton and Rialto police departments, along with agents from the U.S. DEA and ATF, raided four homes on West Cascade Drive simultaneously.

Officer Carrera, a four-year veteran of the force and a member of the SWAT team, was shot in the chest while he and other officers struggled with a man inside one of the targeted homes. He was airlifted to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton, where he succumbed to his injuries.

Jaranard Thomas, 32, of Rialto was arrested on suspicion of murder of a police officer.

Officer Carrera is survived by his wife, 2-year-old son, and year-old daughter.

At approximately 9:00 a.m. on June 10, 2007, Officer Robert F. Dickey (37) of the CHP Winterhaven office was on duty eastbound in the right lane of Interstate 8 at CA mile marker 84.40 when, CHP investigators believe, a tire blew out on the left side of his car. Witnesses reported seeing Dickey’s patrol car roll and go through a roadside fence.

Officer Dickey suffered severe injuries in the crash but was alive and conscious at the scene. He was taken to Yuma Regional Medical Center where he died.

Dickey had been a CHP officer for five years, four of which he served in Winterhaven. He is survived by his wife and one year old son.

CHP Officer Douglas Scott Russell was run down and killed during a high speed chase on Highway 50 in El Dorado County this afternoon.

The incident began around 12:30 pm when Rancho Cordova Police were called by a small business owner to investigate an unresponsive driver who was slumped over his steering wheel. When officers approached and tapped on the window, the person in the car started it and took off, leading police on a chase eastbound on Highway 50 at speeds reaching up to 100 mph.

At the Hazel Avenue on-ramp, CHP vehicles took over the pursuit.

The chase ended when CHP officers deployed a spike strip in an attempt to stop the car. Reportedly the suspect, David Zanon, swerved toward Officer Russell, who then fired at him. Zanon hit Officer Russell, who was outside his car. Zanon then took off on foot, but was later taken into custody.

Officer Russell was taken to University of California, Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, where he arrived in critical condition and later succumbed to his injuries. Officer Russell is survived by his wife, Lynn M. Russell.

At 8:55 a.m. on Tuesday, May 1, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Raul Gama (43) was working undercover monitoring a suspect near Oxnard Street and Rhodes Avenue in North Hollywood when a vehicle crashed into his parked surveillance van. Deputy Gama was rushed to Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank. His wife was airlifted by sheriff’s helicopter to the hospital so she could be with her husband. Deputy Gama later succumbed to his injuries.

The 18-year-old driver whose Honda Element struck Deputy Gama’s van was arrested on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. The suspect, identified as Luis Yanez of San Fernando, was driving west on Oxnard Street when his SUV struck Gama’s van from behind.

Deputy Gama was killed on the 20th anniversary of his graduation from the sheriff’s academy. He had been assigned to Cargo CATs, a team that investigates cargo thefts throughout Southern California. At the time of the crash, he and other deputies who were stationed elsewhere in the neighborhood were observing a man suspected of receiving stolen telephones.

Deputy Gama is survived by his wife of 15 years, Sandra; and four children, Monica 13, Crystal 11, Anita 9, and Marco 3. He is also survived by his mother, Ruth Gama; sister, Hilda (Lance) Severson; and nieces, Natalie and Emily.

During a news conference following the death of Deputy Gama, Sheriff Lee Baca spoke of the loss suffered by the department. “Deputy Gama certainly was a tremendous leader,” Baca said. “We are grieving here at the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.” The sheriff said he was particularly moved by a conversation with Sandra Gama. She told him that her husband had recently spoken to her about the possibility that he could be killed in the line of duty. “He said, ‘If I had it to do over again, I wouldn’t change anything. I love what I do,’ “ Baca said.

Gama is remembered as a wonderful husband, great father, loving son and brother, true friend, and exceptional Deputy Sheriff. While assigned to East Los Angeles Station, Deputy Gama became the team leader for the City of Cudahy. As team leader, Gama introduced the “meet a deputy” program, a model of community policing now utilized by all sheriff stations to improve community relations.

Around 3,000 people attended the funeral mass for Deputy Gama at St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church in Chino Hills on May 7th. Uniformed officers from across the country, local and state dignitaries including Governor Schwarzenegger, friends, and family all gathered to pay their final respects.

Sheriff Baca recalled presenting Deputy Gama with a Medal of Valor in 2004 for helping rescue four children and their parents after a runaway Union Pacific freight train crashed into the family’s home. In addition, he received more than 52 commendations in his career with the Sheriff’s Department.

Officer Robert “Bob” Winget left for patrol from the Ripon Police Department on the morning of April 10, 2007. He was assigned to an area in south Ripon near the banks of the Stanislaus River in the Ripon River Crossing area on his all-terrain patrol vehicle.

At 11:40 a.m. dispatchers received an “undecipherable” transmission from Winget. The Ripon Police Department set up a Mobile Command Center and began assigning Ripon Police, Fire, City Public Works and citizens in search grids to attempt to locate Officer Winget. At approximately 1:14 p.m., a Ripon Consolidated Fire District search crew located him unconscious along the river area, west of Highway 99. They immediately began C.P.R. and brought in a 4-wheel drive rescue vehicle which removed him from the area into a waiting Ripon Fire District Ambulance. He was transported to Doctor’s Hospital in Modesto, where he was pronounced deceased at approximately 2:27 p.m. from traumatic injuries associated with the crash of his all-terrain vehicle.

Officer Bob Winget is survived by his wife of 33 years, Chris; daughters Ashley, 22, Kelley, 19, Bonnie, 16; and son, Edward Amey, 36.

Winget was a US Marine who served in Viet Nam. He began his 37-year law enforcement career in the early 1970s serving LAPD for 20 years, after which he moved up north and became a deputy sheriff for Stanislaus County. There he was a longtime Drug Abuse Resistance Education officer. For the past three years he served Ripon Police Department, where his duties included working with K-9 officers and the all-terrain vehicle patrol. His partner was Topper, the department’s anti-narcotics K9.

Robert Winget was memorialized and laid to rest on April 17, 2007. Nearly 1,000 uniformed peace officers from around the state gathered with Officer Winget’s family and friends for the funeral service at First Baptist Church in Modesto. Hundreds of citizens lined the streets of Ripon and Modesto to watch the motor-procession pass on its way to Burwood cemetery, where he was laid to rest.

Among those paying respects were California Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr., and a spokesman for Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Ripon Police Chief Richard Bull said Officer Winget epitomized the heart and soul of a peace officer, “a fearless warrior who had seen and done it all in a 37-year career in law enforcement.”

“Bob was fearless, tough and crusty, outspoken,” Bull said, reciting a long list of adjectives that characterized the U.S. Marine Corps veteran. “He was old school, stern, the town marshal, a one-man riot, and had a huge heart of gold.”

From the Mayor of Ripon, to waitresses in the café he and his wife frequented, to his fellow officers up and down California – everyone remembered Bob as ”an honest officer dedicated to serving his hometown”…“a super neat guy and my favorite cop”…“always a jokester”…“a mentor and a friend.”

“I am going to miss him desperately,” said his wife Chris. “I’ve been with him 33 years, my whole adult life. We are going to miss his police car parked out in front of our house, and everything about him.”

“A dedicated servant to his community and his country,” is how Riverside County Deputy Sheriff Manuel Villegas is described by virtually everyone who knew him.

Deputy Villegas, age 33, was killed in the early morning of March 19, 2007, in a head-on collision on Pierce Street near 63rd Avenue in Thermal. Villegas was following another deputy in a separate patrol car, heading north on Pierce to a follow-up domestic violence call. A red Nissan Maxima swerved into the deputies’ lane and collided with Villegas. The other deputy was able to avoid the oncoming car. The driver of the Maxima was identified as Jorge Alberto Martinez, 64, of Coachella. Both Villegas and Martinez died at the scene.

In the department’s press release Sheriff Bob Doyle stated, “Manuel made a difference in the lives of those he touched while carrying out his duties as a deputy sheriff, and he will be missed by all those who loved, cared for, and respected him.”

Deputy Villegas joined the Riverside Sheriff’s Department in November 2005 after graduating No. 1 in his academy class. Villegas was also awarded the California Academy Directors Association Award acknowledging “the student in the course who has proven to be the most inspirational role model and sets high standards for other students to follow”.

Prior to joining Riverside Sheriff’s Department, Villegas served in the United States Marine Corps, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Division, and was honorably discharged. After a break in service he enlisted in the United States Army and served in Special Forces with the 307th Infantry Battalion and the 2nd Battalion, Special Forces Group. He was awarded The United States Army Bronze Star Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, Marine Good Conduct Medal, and the National Defense Medal. He received campaign medals for service in Afghanistan, Kuwait, and The Global War on Terrorism Medal. He was also a graduate of basic Army Airborne School, Fort Benning, Georgia, and held the elite parachutist rating.

On Tuesday, March 27th, a funeral mass was held in honor of Deputy Manuel Villegas where hundreds of his fellow deputies, police officers, friends and family gathered to paid tribute to the fallen hero.

Rev. John S. Vieira and Sheriff Bob Doyle saluted Deputy Villegas’ courage and self-sacrifice.

“Deputy Villegas was a very, very special man, a man who could teach all of us a thing or two about service,” Doyle said.

Villegas was also remembered as a loving father and husband. He married his wife Xochitl in 1999 and the couple has two children, Ezequiel and Israel. He is also survived by his daughter Stacie Lee and son Xavier. In an autobiography he wrote for the sheriff’s department, Villegas expressed deep love for his wife and four children, Doyle said during the service.

Rev. Vieira acknowledged the expanse of uniformed officers, “I thank you with a grateful heart,” and at services end said, “Welcome our brother Manuel into paradise.”

At approximately 8:30 p.m., December 22, 2006, San Francisco police officers attempted to serve a felony warrant on a man described as armed and very dangerous in the area of 25th Avenue and Lawton Street. Police spotted the suspect after recognizing him from flyers circulated at the Taraval station. When officers approached him with an arrest warrant, he ran.

Officers set up a search perimeter at 25th and 26th avenues and Moraga and Lawton streets. During the search, Officer Bryan Tuvera and his partner spotted the suspect and chased him on foot to a two-story home at 1631 25th Ave. After leading the officers up to the home, the suspect kicked down a side door to the home’s garage and ran inside. When officers followed, the suspect turned and fired, hitting Officer Tuvera. Tuvera’s partner continued the pursuit and returned fire on the suspect. The suspect ran into an adjoining area and collapsed. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Officer Tuvera was transported to San Francisco General Hospital, where a team of surgeons led by Dr. Geoffrey Manley, chief of neurotrauma, tried in vain to save his life. Shortly after midnight, the announcement came that Officer Tuvera was taken off life support and died at 12:01 a.m. –Twelve years to the minute after his father, Benny Tuvera, a San Francisco police dispatcher, had passed away.

The suspect, identified as Marlon Ruff (33) had a no-bail felony warrant for escape. Ruff had been a fugitive since February 2005, when he walked away from a state prison firefighting camp in Humboldt County. Ruff was imprisoned for a September 2003 robbery in Daly City, in which he hit an armored car guard and stole $4,600. He was on parole from a gun conviction at the time. Ruff was suspected of recent robberies and possible burglaries in the Taraval district.

Officer Tuvera is survived by his wife of two months, Salina, a fellow SFPD officer out of Park Station. The newlyweds dated for nearly a year before marrying and were preparing to spend their first holiday together. Family members said Tuvera had always wanted to join the force. It came as no surprise that not long after becoming an officer, he fell in love with and married a fellow officer, whose father also is a veteran cop. “He pretty much knew what he wanted to do as a kid,” said Tuvera’s father-in-law, Rafael Labutan Jr., a 17 year veteran currently a patrol officer at the Richmond District Police Station.

Bryan Tuvera was a 1996 graduate of South San Francisco High School after which he attended San Francisco State University, receiving his Bachelor of Arts degree in criminal justice. Tuvera joined the SFPD on July 1, 2002 as a member of the 205th Police Academy Class. Officer Tuvera served at Southern and Park Stations before his most recent assignment at Taraval Station. He was a dedicated and devoted officer who received countless citizen and captains commendations.

On the morning of December 29, 2006, hundreds of elected officials, family and uniformed police officers attended funeral services at St. Mary’s Cathedral in San Francisco. California’s Attorney General Bill Lockyer said in eulogizing Tuvera that attending the funerals of peace officers was the hardest part of his job. “Somehow or another we’ve got to figure this out. We’re losing too many noble, bright people like Bryan Tuvera,” he said.

Gary Delagnes, president of the San Francisco Police Officers Association expressed outrage at the loss of a good man and the lack of public outcry. “Oftentimes the death of a police officer is treated as collateral damage. It comes with the profession, some people say,” Delagnes said. “I read the paper the days following Bryan’s death. I saw no public outrage …

“Collateral damage? Not to us.”

In addition to his wife, Officer Bryan Tuvera is survived by his mother Sandy, sister Tracee, grandparents Shirley and Stanley Scoville along with his in-laws and many aunts, uncles and cousins.

Just five days before Christmas, a young Oceanside Police Officer was gunned down and killed during a traffic stop in the northeast part of the city.

Officer Dan Bessant (23) was shot after responding to a request for backup call from Officer Karina Pina (28), at about 6:20 p.m. on December 20. Pina had stopped a car with six people in it for a vehicle code violation and called for backup as she questioned the occupants. Bessant arrived about four minutes later. Approximately 15 minutes into the call, several shots were fired from behind the officers at a distance of 70 to 100 yards. A single round entered the area of Officer Bessant’s left armpit, an area not covered by the protective vest he was wearing. Pina returned fire towards the source, radioed 11-99, and dragged Officer Bessant to safety providing cover until additional officers arrived.

Oceanside Fire Department arrived and immediately started to work Officer Bessant next to the car. Mercy Air arrived shortly after and flew him to Scripps Hospital in LaJolla where he was pronounced dead.

Law enforcement officers from as far as Coronado, National City and Chula Vista responded to the scene, along with sheriff’s deputies, California Highway Patrol officers, and officers from the county Probation Department, Carlsbad and Escondido.

A two block area was cordoned off and the neighborhood searched door-to-door. Witnesses reportedly directed officers to several homes on Arthur Street, which helped to identify those taken in for questioning. Sometime after 3:00 the following morning a 17-year-old reportedly confessed to the shooting. Shortly after, another juvenile was arrested. Both were booked into juvenile hall for 187 and 182 PC.

The motive for the shooting was not known, but the neighborhood, which is near the back gate of Camp Pendleton, has been the location of several gang shootings. Officer Bessant was recently assigned to work the Mesa Margarita/back gate area, handpicked by Lt. Tom Aguigui for the neighborhood policing team.

“It’s not just something anyone can go into,” Aguigui said. “You have to be motivated, proactive and have a passion for working with the community, and he had that. He was a very, very driven employee.” “Dan was one of those who would flourish wherever you put him.”

Officer Bessant was well known and well liked in the community he served. Born in Oceanside, he graduated from Oceanside High School and lived in the city with his wife, Katelyn. Bessant had recently returned to duty from paternity leave following the birth of their son, Wyatt.

On December 27, 2006, over 2,000 friends, family members, and law enforcement officers gathered at New Venture Christian Fellowship Church to honor Officer Dan Bessant. Although a solemn event, the church was filled with laughter as those who knew him best shared memories of Bessant’s life.

“He gave his life for the city he loved. Now we have to give our love and support to his family,” said Oceanside Police Chief Frank McCoy. “His life was taken with a selfish and senseless act of violence, but he died doing what he loved – trying to make his community a better place.”

The Bessant family made the following comments in the service program. “Dan was a delightful son who made his parents proud, a fun brother who never let his brother down, a friend whose friendship enriched so many, a husband whose marriage was the happy center of his life, an enthusiastic father who had just begun the role of being a great dad. He took great joy in being a police officer and was proud of the community he served. His passion for life affected everything he did and everyone who knew him. Our living tribute to Dan will be in continuing his passion for life, his sense of fun and adventure and his willingness to serve.”