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A Reflection on March 21st By Father Jayson Landeza
Mar 20, 2021
On Sunday, we remember the tragic events of Saturday, March 21, 2009, when Sergeants Mark Dunakin, Erv Romans, Dan Sakai and Officer John Hege were killed in the line of duty, protecting the residents of Oakland.
For many of us who were present that day and in the weeks to follow, these memories remain an indelible part of our lives, and are interwoven with our experiences as OPD family.
I remember receiving a call from dispatch informing me that Mark and John had been shot - I immediately drove to Highland Hospital to support our personnel and their families. As we were listening to OPD radio traffic, we heard “940B”, and frantic voices explaining what had transpired, and that two of our officers were headed to Highland Hospital, Code 3. Upon their arrival, we discovered that Dan and Erv had been fatally wounded.
Many of us began recalling our own personal memories and previous interactions with the guys. Mark and I would often see each other at support meetings for “Family and Friends of Murder Victims”, a group that met once a month at Kaiser Hospital in Oakland. OPD Captain Jim Emery, the Homicide Section Commander at the time (early to mid 2000’s), had asked that homicide investigators occasionally attend the meetings, and Captain Emery specifically requesting my presence there. Mark and I would often talk afterwards, and we shared our thoughts and reflections on what we had just heard.
A year before Mark’s death, and as a member of the Traffic Section (Motors), he was involved in a 901. As I rushed to Highland, and after being directed to the emergency room, I found a fully conscious and totally aware Mark, who couldn’t figure out why he was there! (His injuries were very minor). We waited for his wife Angela to arrive to reassure her that he was OK. They are both now rejoined in eternal life
Back to that week in March 2009 - while we were still in extreme shock and profoundly saddened at the death of our heroes, we knew that a fitting memorial service needed to be planned. Tributes from around the world began pouring in, and the PAB and OPOA were surrounded with floral tributes and hand-written letters, notes and posters, mostly from Oakland residents.
Although most of us were trying to hold it together and remain emotionally composed throughout that week, many of us lost it when 20 members of the Baltimore City Police Department, dressed in their Class A dress uniforms, came to the OPOA to pay their respects and offered assistance. Fellow law enforcement personnel from an agency across the country shared their grief with us. A few days later, over 20,000 gathered at the Coliseum arena and stadium to render their presence and support for OPD, our fallen and their families.
As we remember 3/21, it’s also a moment to remember all those members of our OPD family who have died in the line of duty, and whose names are etched on the Memorial Wall at the PAB. We will never forget these heroes.
This is also a chance for us to express our deepest gratitude and appreciation for your service to our Oakland community. As a resident of Deep East Oakland, serving as Pastor of St. Benedict Catholic Church on 82nd and Bancroft, I hear and see, firsthand, the Herculean tasks that you are called to fulfill and respond to on a hourly basis.
You are keenly aware of the many risks you face in this profession, as part of this agency, serving our community. Please know that you are in our daily prayers and blessings. I pray as well for your families - please be sure to let THEM know of your abiding love and support, as I hope they do for you. It’s important that we don’t take our lives, our relationships and our health (physical, emotional, spiritual, psychological, etc) for granted. Please be good to yourselves. We want you to have fulfilling lives and careers.
Rest In Peace, Mark, John, Erv and Dan, and all those who’ve given their lives in the service of our OPD family and our Oakland community. Heroes live forever.
Father Jayson Landeza
OPD Chaplain
Oakland Police Officers' Association
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