At least 14-members of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department traveled to Oakland last week for the funeral of four Oakland Police Officers killed in the line of duty.

Some of those who attended included Sheriff Sandra Hutchens, Assistant Sheriff Michael Hillmann, Sergeant Roger Dawes of Lake Forest Police Services, SWAT Sergeants Mike Peters and Wayne Rehnelt and Sheriff’s Special Officer Andrew Ha, of the James Musick Facility. SSO Ha went on his own time and at his own expense.

“It was definitely an honor to represent the Orange County Sheriff's Department at the funeral for the Oakland Officers,” said Motor Deputy Thom Spratt, of San Juan Capistrano Police Services. “We were very proud to be there in support of the families, friends, co-workers, and citizens of Oakland Police Department.  We motors, Sergeant Bill McGovern, Deputies Robert Garcia, Gary Shields, Jason Perez, Rickey Rosal, Brian Hagerman, and Brad Blakely, were further honored by being allowed to be in the precession to escort each officer to his place of internment. We continued on to Tracy, about 60 miles east of Oakland.”

Photos by SSO Andrew Ha

No extra expenses were incurred by the Department.

The motor officers rode their motorcycles over 1,000 miles on the mission to Oakland and back. They were accompanied by their supervisor, Sergeant William McGovern, who drove a passenger van in support. Along the way the motor officers rode in formation and were joined by five LAPD Motors, two Tustin Gang Units, and one San Diego Harbor Police Unit.

Sergeant McGovern said of the trip on Thursday, “At each stop along the way, our Motor Deputies fielded questions from the public who were curious about our mission. The public would often ask for pictures with the motorcycles and the Motor Deputies, and they asked them to pass along their sympathies and well-wishess to Oakland PD and to the families of the slain officers. At 1800 hours our Motor Deputies arrived safely and without incident to the City of Emeryville, where they lodged at the Courtyard by Marriott. The City of Emeryville Fire Department allowed our Motor Deputies to safely secure their motorcycles at Fire Station #2. The Orange County caravan of 26 vehicles and 60 officers arrived safely at the same hotel at 2200 hours.”

Sergeant McGovern said that on Friday, “The motor deputies had breakfast with 60 Orange County law enforcement officers who convoyed to Oakland. Two Laguna Beach officers without transportation were taken to the funeral in Sergeant McGovern’s van. He also drove Sheriff Hutchens and Assistant Sheriff Hillmann from the airport to the Oracle Arena, where they met SSO Ha.

Sergeant McGovern said of the funeral, “The ceremony was well planned, well executed, and extremely emotional. While it was attended by nearly 20,000 people, it was the professionalism displayed by Oakland PD, the powerful and moving words delivered by each speaker, and the calm orchestration by the OPD Chaplain that made the largest impact on me, rather than the venue or the attendance. Each of the four officers was remembered for his abilities, love of family, dedication and loyalty to OPD, and love of service to the Community of Oakland. They will each be greatly missed.”

The Arena was so crowded that the overflow crowd, which included Sheriff Hutchens, Assistant Sheriff Hillmann and SSO Ha, were directed to the adjacent Coliseum.

“There were an overwhelming number of people there,” said SSO Ha. “It was a good feeling to see all this support for these fallen police officers, their families and their department. I have never seen so many different uniforms.”

Those attending came from New York, Chicago and virtually every state of the union. Even a contingent of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police attended.

SSO Ha said he met an Alameda Deputy Sheriff who was helping cover for the Oakland Police Department. The entire city police force was at the funeral and the Alameda Sheriff’s Department, assisted by agencies including the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, took the place of the Oakland police ensuring traffic and crowd control was performed safely for all.

“There was an incredible amount of dedication taking place that day,” said SSO Ha.

“At the conclusion of the ceremony, we exited the Coliseum, parted ways with SSO Ha and I returned Sheriff Hutchens and Assistant Sheriff Hillmann to Oakland Airport,” said Sergeant McGovern.

“Motor Deputies assisted Emeryville PD Motors with escorting the hearse carrying deceased Sergeant Mark Dunakin to the cemetery in his hometown of Tracy, CA. While this was an unscheduled task, our Motor Deputies were willing and prepared to assist in any capacity.  Sergeant Dunakin has family in Aliso Viejo so it was fitting that Orange County Sheriff’s Motor Deputies were able to help escort him to his final resting place.”

Orange County Motor Deputies donned their Class A uniforms for an event held for Oakland PD and visiting officers held at the Warehouse in downtown Oakland.

The Motor Deputies returned to Orange County and had a memorable encounter when they stopped for lunch at Harris Ranch.

“We were approached by a woman named Padric Davis,” said Sergeant McGovern. “She recognized that we were returning from the services in Oakland. She introduced herself to us as the mother of an Alameda County Deputy Sheriff and thanked us for our service. She also told us that her other son, Culver City Sergeant Kurt Massey was killed February 6, 2009 by a wrong way driver on the Interstate 10 Freeway. It was very emotional for all of us and I exchanged email addresses with Ms. Davis offering any assistance we could provide.”

He added that, “After lunch, we returned to the parking lot and we were approached by an off duty Oakland Police Officer and an Oakland Police Department Tactical Dispatcher. While we did not get their names, the dispatcher was on duty handling the radio traffic during the SWAT incident that took the lives of Sgts. Romans and Takai. Again, very emotional for all of us, with an unbelievable amount of goodwill and fellowship between strangers brought together only by this tragic event.”

“As the Motor Sergeant it is my duty to ensure that each of my Motor Deputies is trained and ready to respond,” said Sergeant McGovern. “With tensions high in Oakland both before and after this tragic event, on this mission our Motors were prepared to assist in any capacity. That is how they train and that is how they respond. With 10 to 15 peace officers losing their lives in California each year, the OCSD Motor Unit commits itself to service and the willingness to respond wherever needed.”

 If anyone in the department ever has a question or concern about our ability or our readiness, I encourage to just please ask me. I will address every question and every concern honestly and we will get the job done.

Deputy Rickey Rosal had this to say of the experience:

"Speaking only for myself.  We rode our motors to Oakland, and although the ride was long and at times uncomfortable, those aspects of the trip were overshadowed by the reason we were going there.  It was easy to forget about the length of the trip or the discomfort you felt on the motor if you reflected on the purpose.  It was a good feeling however, knowing the Orange County Sheriff's Department recognized the need to show support for the immediate families of the fallen officers and the Oakland Police Department who were both dealing with tremendous and tragic loss.  The Oakland and Emeryville Police Departments couldn't have been more thankful for our show of support or gracious in their hospitality.  The whole trip really brought home the fact that those of us in this occupation are part of something bigger.  Not just an individual department, but rather a law enforcement family."