Hundreds began their good-byes to Sergeant Matt Davis with an emotional candlelight vigil held on Wednesday, September 25, outside Mission Viejo City Hall.

Sergeant Davis, an Orange County Sheriff’s Department motorcycle officer, died Sunday, September 22, following a traffic accident. He was on motorcycle patrol in Mission Viejo when a vehicle driven by a 17-year-old girl struck him.

Sergeant Davis sustained major injuries when his motorcycle collided with a Saturn turning left from eastbound La Sierra onto northbound Marguerite. After stopping at a traffic intersection’s stop sign, the driver pulled out in front of Davis. The collision sent him about 20 feet through the air into a traffic sign and his motorcycle slid 100 feet before stopping in the opposite lane, officials said. Davis was wearing a helmet at the time.

The girl, whose name was not released because of her age, was not injured.

About 3,000 people, including representatives of law enforcement agencies from around the state, attended Davis’ funeral service Thursday, September 26, at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest.

The Sheriff of Orange County told those gathered for the patrolman’s funeral, that one hour after Davis died, his wife, Tammy, asked to meet the girl whose vehicle had struck her husband’s motorcycle. The two prayed together. “I don’t know what they said, but that was how they were.”

Colleagues and friends shared their memories with those who came to pay their respects.

“I will miss him coming into my office to help himself to some candy,” said City Manager Dan Joseph. “The city has lost a valuable professional and a good friend.”

John Maginnis connected with Davis over their similar recreational interests. He recalled a religious, devoted family man who knew the law and believed that police services involved more than writing tickets – it was about a relationship between officers and citizens. “Thank God for the life of Matt Davis,” Maginnis said in a shaky voice.

Despite their grief, family, friends, and co-workers took time to laugh.

Don Miskulin, a childhood friend, said he met Davis 25 years ago when his new friend moved to Corona. He recalled Davis’ varied attempts to fit in. “He was a punker, a skater, a surfer, and if you can believe it, even a preppy.”

He said the two of them would deliver newspapers in the early hours and then meet, every morning, at a doughnut shop for apple fritters and coffee. They pulled pranks on teachers, traveled to Mexico to surf and climbed Mt. Whitney.

Miskulin, now a Riverside County sheriff’s deputy, said, “Everyone has a best friend, but best friends can change. They come and go, but Matt was the one in a lifetime. He was forever.”

Friends told the audience that Davis was a deeply religious man who volunteered at his church and attended services each Sunday morning, sitting in the front row with a Bible in one hand and taking notes with the other.

At work, Sergeant Davis, who supervised 31 motorcycle deputies in southern Orange County, always made time for others, said Sergeant Steve Doan, a colleague and friend. “Even cranky callers felt inclined to thank him for his sunny attitude.” Doan said.

Wayne Quint, president of the Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs, who has known Davis since his rookie year, said, “I think he was first and foremost a family man. He was a Christian who put his family first. He was a professional deputy.”

Mary Huffman, Davis’ mother, wore a white T-shirt with a message in loving memory of her son as she stepped up to the microphone. “He loved his job very much, and he loved working here, and he loved his bike, and he loved his family,” she said.

Miskulin said Davis’ final gift to society was the donation of his heart, liver and kidneys. “I don’t know why God took Matt. Could be because somebody needed his organs, could be because God needs a great motor cop in heaven,” he said. “We weren’t ready to give him up.”

Sergeant Davis, age 36, was a highly skilled motorcycle rider and a 16-year law enforcement veteran.  The Sheriff said of Sergeant Davis, “He expected the best from his troops and even more from himself, and he always delivered.”  

He is survived by his wife, Tammy; children, Johnathon, 13, Jessica, 11, and Julianna, 7; and mother, Mary Huffman.

Officer Jesse K. Paderez died Wednesday, July 17, in the parking lot of the San Fernando Police Department after his handgun fell to the ground and fired, striking him in the head and fatally wounding him.

Paderez, a 10-year veteran of the San Fernando Police Department, had apparently been carrying his holstered .45-caliber gun in his hands as he walked through the department parking lot transferring material from his private vehicle to his marked unit.

Lt. Mike Langston said, “Paderez had stopped at the station about 6:45 a.m. to pick up a patrol car and was scheduled to attend a training class on radar use later that morning. The gun was secured in the holster, but he was carrying it in his hands, most likely along with other items. The hammer of the gun struck the ground when it dropped and discharged. We believe it was a freak accident.”

Chief Anthony Alba stated, “We’re just completely puzzled and baffled at how this happened. It’s a tragic loss for the entire community of San Fernando. It is truly a family loss for all. We’re all grieving.”

A day after Paderez was killed, his family walked through the department’s parking lot where the officer was found. Family members sat inside Paderez’s patrol vehicle No. 21 and took pictures in the car, said Alba.

The family also held a barbecue over the weekend to honor the memory of the officer. They shared pictures and stories about Paderez.

Alba stated, “His patrol car was spotless. He was very clean and organized, if you walked into his condominium you would see everything very neatly organized.” Paderez’s youngest son, Joseph, 21, lived with him at the Sylmar condominium.

Some 600 mourners gathered at the Our Lady of Miraculous Medal Catholic Church in Montebello, Tuesday, July 23, for the funeral of 46-year-old Paderez. Most of the San Fernando Police Department, in which Paderez spent his entire decade-long career, attended the service.

Also in attendance were members of Paderez’s large family, including 12 siblings, three children, grandchildren and his fiancée, as well as hundreds of friends and community members.

His co-workers described his dedication to family and the community, and recalled how he frequently joked that he’d spotted suspects the day before they were wanted.

Alba said, “Jesse was known throughout the community. He knew the good guys, and he knew the bad guys, and he treated everyone fairly. Jesse was one of a kind.”

One officer said Jesse was the only officer he knew who would go to a domestic-disturbance call and emerge with a whole new group of friends.

Officer Joel Vasquez stated after the funeral, “We only have 39 officers in our department, so it’s been hard. Even though Jesse wasn’t from San Fernando originally, he knew more people here than many of those who are natives. Jesse was a dedicated officer who always wanted to please.”

Paderez, who spent the last decade as a patrol officer, was also a member of the San Fernando Police Department’s Special Response Team.

His dedication to children led him to coach a youth baseball team and, recently, to apply for his department’s open Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) officer position. Alba said, “Jesse Paderez was highly dedicated to youth services. Children meant a lot to him. As the youngest member of a large family, he understood the importance of family.”

Geri Arriaga, Paderez’s sister, said her family was in awe at the number of mourners who paid tribute to Jesse. “That was Jesse. He was very loving and caring to the whole community,” Arriaga said. “I can’t think of any better words to say than ‘Thank you.'”

Paderez, who grew up in East Los Angeles, came from a law enforcement family. His sister, Geri Arriaga, is a retired deputy sheriff, and his brother, Ernest, who died 11 years ago in a car accident, was a member of the Los Angeles Police Department. Paderez had seven sisters and five brothers.

He graduated in October 1992 from the Academy, Class #110, at Rio Hondo College.

His adult children, Evette, Jesse and Joseph; three grandchildren; girlfriend, Maria A. Flores; and 12 siblings survive Paderez.

Donations to Paderez’s family may be sent to: Jesse K. Paderez Memorial Fund, U.S. Post Service Federal Credit Union, 10919 Sepulveda Blvd., Mission Hills, CA 91346.

Officer Jon C. Cook, a 38-year-old rookie with the San Francisco Police Department, died Wednesday, June 12, as he and his partner raced to help arrest a suspected violent felon. Their marked unit collided at 17th and Dolores streets in San Francisco with another police car on its way to the same call.

Three other officers were injured in the accident. Officer Nick Ferrando, 25, suffered severe head injuries and remains in San Francisco General Hospital. He has undergone two brain surgeries. Officers David Lee and Mike Celis suffered minor injuries.

Four officers, two in each car, had been responding to the Castro to assist in the arrest of Monte Haney, 29, who was suspected of gouging out his girlfriend’s eye. He was later arrested about two blocks away from the accident site.

A police spokesman stated that a phenomenon known as a “washout,” in which competing sets of emergency sirens drown each other out, might have contributed to the crash.

More than 2,000 attended a funeral Mass for Cook at St. Mary’s Cathedral on June 17, officiated by Rev. John Ranallo who stated that Gospel writers “don’t give us an explanation of why our loved ones are ripped away from us. They just offer the hope of redemption.”

He added, “You are here today because he touched you, and he is a brother policeman. Whether you knew him or not, he affected each of us.”

Attorney General Bill Lockyer, as well as, San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown, Police Chief Fred Lau, Police Commission President Sydney Chan, and Board of Supervisors President Tom Ammiano attended the service.

The state’s top law enforcement official, Attorney General Lockyer, told Cook’s family, “We can’t alleviate your loss, but I hope you can understand that he was doing what he loved.”

During the eulogy Mayor Brown called the job of police officer a higher calling. He said, “I’m sure the almighty, as he protects Jon now, understands clearly how he must ultimately be rewarded for his great sacrifice.”

Mission District police station Capt. Greg Corrales told mourners that Cook had the opportunity to take the night off because of a scheduling mix up. His sergeant told him his shift was filled, and he could go home, but Cook said no, he wanted to work.

“He said, “I want to go catch some bad guys. I want to fight crime.'” Corrales stated, “I sure wish (the sergeant) could have changed his mind.”

Cook died an hour and a half later.

Corrales continued, “I’ll always remember Jon racing to catch a heinous criminal, red lights and sirens going and that was the last emotion he ever felt on this earth.”

During the eulogy Sgt. Chuck Limbert, a close friend of Cook, said there were many things about him that people didn’t know.

“He loved to dance, and he paid his way through college by teaching tap dancing.

“He called his mother every Sunday.

“He was a lieutenant in the Air Force, working in intelligence services. He spoke fluent Russian and translated Russian documents.

“He had a master’s degree in biotechnology and had worked for Gilead Sciences in the Bay Area, conducting research on HIV drugs.

“He had a black belt in tae kwon do.

“He feared nothing except spiders.”

Limbert ended his message by saying, “You lived your life without reserve, and you lived it fully.”

Ammiano said that he was amazed at how many people knew Cook or were touched by his passing. Quoting from The Wizard of Oz, when the wizard gave the Tin Man a heart, he said, “A heart is not measured by how much it loves, but by how much it is loved.”

He ended by stating, “That is the testament of Officer Cook.”

Following the services, Cook’s parents took him home to Oregon for burial.

In addition to his parents, Cook is survived by his domestic partner of three years, Jared Strawderman.

California Highway Patrol Officer John Pedro was doing the job he loved to do on Monday, June 3, when his patrol car went out of control, ran off the road and struck a tree. He was killed instantly.

Witnesses told CHP investigators that Pedro, 36, was heading northbound and had just turned on his emergency lights, indicating that he was probably about to stop a motorist. The tires on his unit drifted off the Highway 1 off-ramp to Highway 129 and onto the ramp’s north shoulder where it slid back across the roadway leaving long black skid marks, as it turned sideways. The car hit an embankment on the right side of the ramp and flipped several times before it slammed into a large tree.

Co-workers regarded the crash as a freak accident that happened in an area that Pedro loved and knew by heart, in the town where he grew up.

Highway Patrol chaplain Jim Howarth told mourners at funeral services held at the Twin Lakes Church in Aptos June 6, that Pedro deserved the highest honor. He stated, “We are quick to honor great actors, great athletes that come out of a community, but are we ready to recognize those who gave their all?”

State CHP Commissioner D.O. “Spike” Helmick, who swore Pedro onto the force in 1989, stood at the microphone with his hat in his hands, faced the family and said, “I wished there was something we could say that could make you hurt less today.”

He continued by saying that Pedro was one of those who could go home each day and know he prevented tragedies from happening. “What a remarkable thing to say about a man.”

Pedro was described by speakers as a man who worked hard because he loved his job. He didn’t have any other burning ambition.

Capt. Chris Jenkins, commander for the area CHP, told the audience, “He didn’t ask for reward or riches. He just wanted to serve.”

“He enjoyed patrolling the highways and catching speeders and drunken drivers. But his real love was commercial truck enforcement,” stated friend and retired CHP Officer Joe Bowes.

Pedro got his dream job when he was assigned to the Mobile Road Enforcement units of the CHP’s coastal division. He later went to work in the truck inspection facility in Gilroy. Earlier this year he requested a transfer to the Aptos office to be closer to his wife and young daughter.

Bowes also told the group that Pedro loved intense discussions on the fine points of law enforcement. He said that they once debated on whether CHP officers could arrest someone for driving under the influence on private property.

Pedro took the position that they can make such arrests, and gave Bowes a big stack of papers, with highlighted passages, to support his point. According to the local CHP, Pedro was absolutely correct.

Bowes stated that Pedro had a thirst for knowledge, liked keeping his fellow officers up to speed on law enforcement issues, and most of all, loved helping people.

“There is an awful lot we do that does not involve tickets,” Bowes said. “He was always willing to help people. If he found someone broken down on the road, he would go get gas, replace a windshield-wiper blade, or give them a ride to a phone. He was more than happy to do it.”

Pedro, who was a 13-year CHP veteran, is the first Santa Cruz County-based CHP officer to have died in the line of duty in 68 years.

Born in Watsonville, Pedro graduated from Watsonville High School in 1983, and later received a degree in music from Cabrillo College and attended San Jose State University with a major of anthropology and a minor in music.

He loved horns and played in a band in the early 1990s while a reserve in the Air Force, which presented him with a posthumous meritorious service medal. At the funeral, the audience listened to the sounds of a live five-piece brass band, playing the kind of music Pedro loved. He also was a substitute musician with the San Jose Symphony occasionally.

His wife of nine years, Colleen Gilmartin, a CHP officer for the same district, and two-year old daughter, Sara Jessica, survive Pedro.

A memorial fund has been set up for Pedro’s family. Those who wish to donate may send it to: John Pedro Memorial Fund (account number 1891453746) at Comerica Bank, 30 Rancho del Mar Shopping Center, Aptos, CA 95003.

Less than a year had passed since the community of Fresno mourned the death of a deputy from the Fresno County Sheriff’s Department. On Tuesday, May 28, the Peoples Church was once again the setting for the funeral of a deputy who died in the line of duty. Deputy Dennis E. Phelps was slain May 19 while checking a suspicious vehicle. The suspect, Mark Volpa Jr., was shot and killed by SWAT officers after a weeklong manhunt in the Fresno County foothills.

Phelps, who was on his second week of patrol, was fatally shot stopping a suspected gunman on the outskirts of Clovis, a Fresno suburb. Phelps, 47, who had worked for the sheriff for years as a court bailiff, had recently completed his training and had just begun patrolling the streets alone.

He radioed dispatchers at 11:44 p.m. Sunday to report that he had made a traffic stop. Clovis dispatchers responded that the driver of the vehicle was wanted for two separate shootings Sunday night, including potshots taken at a street sweeper in a shopping center parking lot.

A sheriff’s spokesman reported that it was likely Phelps never heard the report or knew the suspect might be armed. When Phelps didn’t radio back, Clovis police officers went to the scene and found him dead. His patrol car was gone, as well as, his badge, Smith & Wesson .45 caliber handgun and radio.

Another deputy received minor injuries after the suspect shot out his cruiser’s windshield during a chase that led into the Sierra Nevada foothills. The stolen cruiser was later found overturned on the side of the highway near the town of Prather. The suspect apparently escaped out the door and fled on foot.

Hundreds of officers from across the state, Attorney General Bill Lockyer and Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante attended the service to remember the life of Dennis E. Phelps.

Bustamante said, “One of California’s sons has fallen, a son of the Valley. He chose a life of public service, a job that bears risk and jeopardy . . . They wear a badge, offer help, put themselves in harm’s way.”

Fresno County Sheriff Richard Pierce described to the audience a week spent “trying to get a grip” on how events had unfolded. In the end, he said, he came to a simple but grim conclusion.

“Those who wear the uniform, every day have taken on the responsibility of placing ourselves in danger,” he told the crowd made up mostly of peace officers in uniform. “It is what we do. It is what we love. And Dennis loved it, too.”

The Phelps family’s pastor, Tim McLain Rolen of the New Hope Community Church, said the memorial service was about celebrating the love, joy, and adventure of Phelps’ life. Rolen, referring to Phelps, told the group of mourners, “He wanted to do it and he loved it. Any of you who have any regrets about letting him go on patrol: Don’t. His family doesn’t.”

Deputy Chris Curtice, in a voice heavily tinged with country flavor, sang The Grace of His Shield: “The good days are many and the bad days are few. The good days remind us why we do what we do. Pray for each other ‘cuz the dangers are real. When you carry the weight of the shield.”

Following the service, more than 300 sheriff’s cars from as far away as Los Angeles, San Bernardino, San Benito and Amador counties; police cars from San Jose, Riverside, Oakdale and more than a dozen California Highway Patrol units slowly left the church and filed to Phelps’ grave site at Clovis Cemetery District.

More than 60 motorcycles led the way, followed by a hearse, limousines and dozens of Fresno County sheriffs, Clovis police and Fresno police cruisers. As the cars formed a wide circle around the cemetery, two and three abreast, eight helicopters flew over in tight formation.

Deputy Phelps was laid to rest nine days after his life ended on a dusty roadside a few miles northeast of the cemetery.

Phelps began his career in the early 1980s with the Kerman Police Department and as a sheriff’s deputy assigned to the courts. After about 3 years, he left the sheriff’s department to work as a train engineer with the Burlington Northern Railroad.

He returned to the Sheriff’s Department in 1999 as a reserve deputy in order to spend more time with his family. Phelps became a full-time deputy October 30, 2000, and recently completed training to become a patrol officer.

He is survived by his wife, Dana; children, Nicole; 18, and Kenny, 13; and parents, Brice and Mary Phelps of Clovis.

The Fresno Deputy Sheriff’s Association has set up a trust fund for Deputy Phelps’ family. Checks can be made payable to Dennis Phelps Memorial and mailed to Kerman State Bank, P.O. Box 277, Kerman, CA 93630.

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy David W. March was shot and killed Monday morning, April 29, in Irwindale after pulling over a stolen vehicle.

March, who was working the unincorporated area of Irwindale, was investigating a reported stolen car when he spotted it at a busy intersection. After pulling the car over, the driver got out and met him halfway between the patrol car and stolen vehicle and a struggle ensued. “The driver pulled a weapon and shot March several times point blank,” Sheriff Lee Baca reported. The assailant and two others in the car sped off after the shooting.

A truck driver from a nearby concrete plant heard the shots and ran to March’s patrol car, grabbed the radio mike and broadcast: “A deputy’s been shot!” Patrol cars responded quickly. One of the arriving officers gave March mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, Baca said.

The man suspected of being the deputy’s killer, 25-year-old Armando Garcia, remains at large, authorities stated. He was described as Latino, about 5-foot-7, with short dark hair and a mustache.

The Grace Baptist Church outdoor amphitheater in Saugus was the setting for the final farewell to March on May 4. Thousands gathered for the funeral service including family members, friends and fellow law enforcement officers.

Sheriff Baca eulogized March, a veteran of seven years, as a trusting, honest man who had no fear – a man of faith who believed in others. “Dave was willing to nobly put his life on the line with style and grace and determination,” Baca said. “He did it in a way that has made all of us proud. All the men and women in the sheriff’s department have lost a good friend. We’ve lost a great protector. A protector of life. A protector of human spirit.”

Capt. Roberta Abner, the Temple sheriff’s station commander, shared an e-mail with the mourners that March had written about a week before the incident as a follow-up to an evaluation.

“I feel that I give a full day’s work when I’m here,” March wrote. “My contacts with the public I feel are positive. Most of all I feel I have learned to enjoy what I am doing.

“My goals are simple,” he added. “I will always be painfully honest, work as hard as I can, learn as much as I can and hopefully make a difference in people’s lives.”

Abner added that March had received various commendations for his work – including quick response time, attention to duty, arrests and his willingness to assist members of the community. “He demonstrated outstanding strengths, not only in aggressively and actively pursuing and apprehending criminals, but in serving the community to the best of his ability, with understanding and empathy for their situation,” Abner said.

Abner continued, “He was viewed by his supervisors and peers alike as a good street cop, a compliment of the highest degree in this profession. In one horrific moment, our comrade, friend and hero was brutally murdered. That Monday morning will be forever etched in our hearts and minds.”

March’s sister, Erin Hildreth, said “It’s just kind of unbelievable to me right now. We always thought of him as invincible.”

Thom Lindsey, March’s brother-in-law, told the audience, “Just being around him was inspiring. He made people want to be better. He will forever be a hero.”

March, who grew up in Santa Clarita Valley, played football and baseball for Canyon High School from which he graduated in 1988. He worked at Magic Mountain as a security guard and joined the Marine Corps before entering the Sheriff’s Academy in 1996. Although he was still assigned to the Temple City Sheriff’s station, he was scheduled to be transferred to the Santa Clarita station in May.

March, 33, is survived by his wife of five years, Teresa Lee; 13-year-old stepdaughter, Kayla French; parents, John and Barbara March; sister, Erin Hildreth; and brother, John.

A fund has been established to support the March family in this time of need. Please make checks payable to the Sheriff’s Relief Fund #257, c/o Sheriff’s Relief Association, 11515 South Colima Road, Whittier, CA 90604.

Officer George A. Rose succumbed on Dec. 9, 2001, to a gunshot wound received ten years earlier after being accidentally shot by a fellow officer. Rose was walking to his police car in the department parking lot when a woman came to the department seeking protection from her abusive husband. The husband followed the woman and opened fire on everyone in the parking lot.

Officers returned fire and killed the suspect. His partner discovered Rose a short time later on the ground next to his patrol car. He had been struck in the head by a stray bullet, which was later determined to have been fired by another officer.

Rose never recovered and remained under doctor’s care at the Northwoods Rehabilitation Center for the next ten years until his death.

Rose had been with the agency for three years at the time of the shooting and was survived by his wife.

The St. Pius Catholic Church was filled to overflowing Tuesday, Oct. 30, as hundreds of police officers and mourners honored San Jose Police Department’s Officer Jeffrey Michael Fontana. He was shot and killed Sunday, Oct. 28, during what police believe started as a routine traffic stop.

Traffic around the church slowed to a crawl as ranks of officers lined up on foot, on horseback, and on motorcycles to pay their respects.

Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante, California Attorney General Bill Lockyer, San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales and San Jose Police Chief William Lansdowne were among those speaking at the service.

Former San Francisco 49ers owner Eddie DeBartolo and the entire 49ers team and current management were also in attendance. Fontana worked with the team as an accountant for five years before leaving to pursue his dream of being a police officer.

Investigators believe the suspect in the incident, DeShawn Campbell, must have quickly turned and fired on Fontana after he was cornered on a cul-de-sac. Neighbors, who heard gunfire, found the officer about 10 feet from the suspect’s car, his weapon still in its holster.

Residents who live on the street of well-kept relatively new homes near Lake Almaden said there had been a recent string of car break-ins in their normally tranquil neighborhood. Fontana had been patrolling the area alone for two weeks.

Sgt. Steve Dixon said, “We don’t know for sure what happened. He (Campbell) had two felony warrants out for his arrest, and once he was stopped by the officer, he didn’t want to go to jail.”

Police said Campbell has a long criminal history which includes outstanding felony warrants for attacking police officers during a June arrest for credit card fraud and violating probation on a 1999 burglary conviction.

Referring to Fontana Assistant Chief Tom Wheatley stated, “From everyone’s estimation he was a good, young police officer that loved to be a cop and wanted to be a cop. He was out on his own doing the things all cops want to do all their lives.”

Fontana, 24, had volunteered for the Oakridge Community Police Center before joining the force a year ago. He recently completed a customary 16-week training program before assuming solo patrol. He graduated fifth in a class of 39 from the Police Academy. A Woodside High graduate and San Jose State honors student, Fontana was described as an enthusiastic and hard-working young man who loved country music, deer-hunting, football and his family. He graduated from San Jose State with a B.S. in Administrative Justice. His 10-year goal was to be a sergeant in the Detective Bureau.

Speakers described Fontana as a “fallen hero,” and spoke of the sense of duty that motivated him and others like him who risk their lives to protect the public.

Lockyer told the audience, “Every day, someone like Jeffrey makes a stop that places his life in danger. Every day someone runs into a burning building. That sense of purpose matters.”

Crystal Littleton had the last words when she told the crowd, tearfully, that Fontana had been “the kind of man you want your sons to be and the kind of man you want your daughter to marry.”

Fontana is the first San Jose police officer slain by gunfire since a 1989 downtown shootout that left two officers dead.

Close friends and family members attended a private interment following the service. His parents, Tony and Sandy Fontana, and brothers, Jason and Greg, also survive Fontana.

Donations may be sent to: San Jose State University Foundation, Jeffrey Fontana Memorial Scholarship Fund, c/o The Administration of Justice Department, San Jose State University, One Washington Square, San Jose, CA 95192-0050.

Deputy Hagop “Jake” Kuredjian, a 17-year veteran of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, was killed as he responded to a shootout in Stevenson Ranch in the Santa Clarita Valley on Friday, Aug. 31, after a man opened fire on federal and local officials trying to serve a search warrant.

Charged in the incident was a former Arcadia police officer, James Allen Beck, with weapons violations and impersonating a U.S. marshal. Beck, a twice-convicted felon, allegedly shot Kuredjian from the second floor of his home as the deputy ducked for cover behind a nearby car when violence erupted.

Kuredjian, 40, was hit in the head by a single bullet, officials reported. Several minutes passed before other law enforcement personnel could pull him to safety because Beck continued to fire at them.

Beck died after tear gas canisters ignited the home causing it to become a fiery tomb. During earlier telephone negotiations following the initial barrage of gunfire, he apologized for shooting the deputy.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael Antonovich told the estimated 4,000-person crowd at Kuredjian’s funeral in Glendale that “he lived and died a true hero.” Officers stood shoulder to shoulder on the street and sidewalk, when St. Mary’s Armenian Apostolic Church was filled, united in their grief for a fallen comrade.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca spoke of Kuredjian, saying that Santa Clarita loved the motorcycle officer. “Death is not the final word in the life of Hagop ‘Jake’ Kuredjian. We’re going to cry a little more,” Baca continued, his voice breaking. “It’s not a sign of weakness, it’s what every family does when it has lost one it loves.”

Gov. Gray Davis told mourners, “For him being a deputy sheriff was not just a job, it was a calling.” Later as he presented Anahid Kuredjian with the state flag that had been lowered to half-staff over the capitol the day of her son’s death, he told her, “Jake was a soldier of decency, every morning putting a badge on his uniform and his life on the line. There is no greater calling than to be of service to another human being.

“There is no greater love than to lay your life down for a friend. Our debt will be never-ending. There are not words to summon up our feeling of gratitude.”

Antonovich told the audience, “For 17 years, he devoted his life to law enforcement and the well-being of the citizens of Los Angeles County.”

Kuredjian’s commander at the Santa Clarita Valley sheriff’s station, Capt. Don Rodriguez, remembered him as a man with a smile for everyone. “You’ll always be in our hearts and minds – our brother, our friend.”

Calling Kuredjian a servant who gave his life to keep others safe, Bishop Moushegh Mardirossian, from the Western Prelacy of the Armenian Church of America, said “He always chose to be part of the solution . . . to make our world a better place.”

As Raffi Kuredjian eulogized his brother he said, “I wish I could stand before you here today and tell you that I’m here to celebrate my brother’s life. I’ll do that for the rest of my life. Today I am here because I am mourning his untimely murder.”

He asked the mourners not to idealize or enlarge his brother in death. “He should simply be remembered as a good man who saw wrong and tried to right it. He saw suffering and tried to heal it. He saw injustice and tried to stop it.”

Capt. Rodriguez’s concluded the ceremony, his voice shaking with emotion, as he recalled his fallen officer, “Godspeed 60 Mary 2” referring to the deputy’s radio name. “Godspeed, our brother, our friend.”

The service ended with the solemn notes of bagpipes and taps, the touching picture of a grieving mother kissing a dove before releasing it to the skies and a riderless police motorcycle, flowers on its footrests.

Kuredjian, a native of Aleppo, Syria, became a U.S. citizen in 1982 after he immigrated to Michigan with his mother and two brothers. His father died in 1975 during violence in Lebanon. The deputy often worked as an Armenian interpreter for the Sheriff’s Department, the Los Angeles Police Department and the FBI.

The Gold Meritorious Conduct Medal was presented to Kuredjian in 1989 for rescuing a woman from a cliff in Malibu.

Kuredjian is survived by his fiancée, Mary Theresa Richardson; mother, Anahid Kuredjian of Novi, Michigan; and brothers, Garo and Raffi. Garo Kuredjian is a deputy with the Ventura Co. Sheriff’s Dept.

The Sheriff’s Relief Foundation has established a fund in Deputy Kuredjian’s name. Checks may be sent to: Sheriff’s Relief Foundation, Fund #273, 11515 Colima Road, Bldg. B, Whittier, CA 90604.

On Tuesday, Aug. 21, Fresno Co. Sheriff’s Deputy Erik J. Telen and his partner, Deputy Brent Stalker, were assisting fire personnel in the mountains of eastern Fresno County. They were dispatched to a rural residence in the Dunlap area in regards to a reported suspicious person.

The deputies contacted the reporting party upon their arrival and made an extensive search for the subject. They eventually discovered signs of a forced entry and commenced their search of the interior of the house. Having cleared one room, Deputy Telen was beginning to clear an adjoining room when the suspect, armed with a 12-gauge shotgun, fired from a concealed position, fatally wounding him.

The suspect, 20-year-old Ramadan Abdur-Rauf Abdullah of Binghamton, New York, surrendered after a six-hour standoff. He was charged with Telen’s murder and attempting to murder three other deputies. “He is also accused of the special circumstances of murder during a burglary and of a peace officer carrying out his duty, which makes him eligible for the death penalty if convicted,” stated James Oppliger, chief deputy district attorney in the homicide unit.

Sheriff’s Lt. Don Burk said at the scene that the suspect had access to six to 10 shotguns, rifles and handguns inside the home, as well as ammunition for all of the weapons.

At Telen’s funeral on Aug. 27, at the People’s Church, Fresno County Sheriff Richard Pierce told mourners that Telen made the ultimate sacrifice in part because he was “courageous and dedicated to his community.” He was doing the job “he did with all his heart” when he took a blast in the head.

Stalker, who stood with Telen as he fell, told the more than 1,500 mourners that it was because Telen took the left side of the hallway and he took the right as they crept in search of the burglar that it was Telen who was shot. After describing the incident, he continued that he had to radio in the code every officer prays he’ll never have to use: “Eleven ninety-nine – officer down.”

Officers from at least 68 agencies filled the pews and stood two-deep against the walls and up the staircases at the People’s Church chapel. The Ontario Police Dept., where Telen worked before coming to Fresno, sent more than 100 officers.

Attorney Gen. Bill Lockyer, the state’s top law enforcement official, told the audience of the time between Telen’s birth and his death: Nov. 20, 1974 – Aug. 21, 2001.

“Erik didn’t choose the first date and he didn’t choose the second date, but the dash was his. That was his time, and he used it well.”

Sheriff Pierce added, in brief remarks addressed mostly to Telen’s widow, that Telen had already become a loved member of a department that considers itself family. His death shook its ranks to the core, but, “in our department, people matter, values make a difference, and we know our faith will sustain us.”

Telen’s roommate from academy days, Justin Johnson, told of Telen’s marriage proposal. He only got out the ring and the word “I” before Shelley tackled him saying, “Yes!Yes! Yes!” The couple’s wedding photo was displayed while a recording of country singer Faith Hill’s song “There You’ll Be,” played: “When I think back on these times and the dreams we left behind, I’ll be glad ’cause I was blessed to get to have you in my life.”

At the conclusion of the funeral services, The Ford Expedition Unit that Telen used to patrol the mountains around Auberry was parked near the gravesite. In it, a deputy gave one final sign-off over the radio loudspeaker.

“Deputy Erik Telen, ID number 7647, 10-8, reporting for new assignment. Safe in heaven.”

Telen, 26, grew up in the Fresno County community of Clovis and attended California State University-Fresno and the State Center Peace Officer’s Academy at Fresno City College. Upon completion of the police academy, he was hired by the Ontario Police Dept. where he served for three years.

He was part of the Fresno County sheriff’s detail assigned to assist in traffic control and safety at the Dunlap forest fire site.

Telen is survived by his daughters, Bethanie, 2, and Brooke, 1; his wife Shelley, who is expecting their son in October; mother and stepfather, Sharon and John Burton; and brother, Dan Telen.

Remembrances to the Telen Family should be made payable to Fresno Deputy Sheriff’s Association “FDSA” in care of Shelley Telen, 1360 Van Ness, Fresno, CA 93721.