Tag: Oakland SWAT Ambush

Patrol

4 OPD Officers Killed on 3/21/2009: Yearning for Learning a Dozen Years Later

Sergeant Mark Dunakin, Officer John Hege, Sergeant Ervin Romans, and Sergeant Dan Sakai were senselessly and brutally murdered by a convicted felon wanted on a no-bail warrant for a parole violation in two separate incidents taking place nearly two hours apart on the afternoon of March 21, 2009.

March 25, 2022

Patrol

Looking Back: Tragedy, Invisible Killers, and the Death Penalty

POLICE has covered lessons learned, weapons of mass destruction, and capital punishment.

May 31, 2019

Patrol

Editorial: Organ Donation is "The Last Full Measure"

Abraham Lincoln spoke of the willingness to fight and die for others as "the last full measure of devotion." Officers who agree to have their organs donated upon death exemplify that devotion.

September 9, 2013

SWAT

Is Law Enforcement Entering a Deadly New Era?

The spike in duty deaths has occurred despite the many advancements in police training, equipment (particularly protective armor), and emergency medical trauma care. What does appear to be occurring is more and more criminals are showing an increasing willingness to engage police in armed confrontations.

March 31, 2011

Special Units

Deputy Who Helped End Oakland Ambush Honored at Sheriffs' Conference

Pope said he was reluctant at first to accept the award, but embraced it when he realized it would be shared with fellow officers involved in the Oakland ambush.

June 28, 2010

Patrol

National Police Week: What They Left Behind

The names of almost 19,000 law enforcement men and women have been added to the curving, 304-foot marble walls of the National Law Enforcement Officer's Memorial. The officers and families who knew them arrived at the memorial during National Police Week to pay tribute by leaving roses, photos, wreaths, a SWAT helmet, a duty flashlight, and other personel items.

May 13, 2010

SWAT

Pittsburgh Police Ambush: One Year Later

As in Oakland, Pittsburgh police have had a very rough year, grieving and recovering from the murders of three fellow officers. All the while, continuing to serve and protect the citizens of Pittsburgh as the professionals they are.

April 12, 2010

SWAT

One Year After the Oakland Police Murders

For two months after the tragic shootings, OPD SWAT went into "stand down" mode, to regroup and train replacement Sergeants. Oakland is part of Alameda County, so Alameda County's tactical team handled any callouts while the OPD team regrouped. In May 2009, OPD SWAT became operational again and has since handled dozens of missions, successfully.

March 30, 2010

Special Units

The Peter Principle

It's critical that only the best warriors get promoted up the ranks in law enforcement. Wearing sergeant's stripes or lieutenant's bars on your uniform has to be about more than just time served or passing a test.

February 11, 2010

Patrol

Oakland Police Memorial

In March of 2009, 21,000 people attended memorial services at Oracle Arena for the four Oakland police officers killed in the line of duty. A desperate parolee shot two motor officers and later two sergeants during a SWAT raid of an apartment. The video was produced by the Contra Costa Times.

January 24, 2010

Special Units

Oakland SWAT Gets Additional Review

The Oakland Police Department's SWAT unit will get an additional third-party review, following a Board of Inquiry report that harshly criticized its handling of a desperate parolee's killing of four officers in March.

January 12, 2010

SWAT

The Oakland Police Murders: What We Think We Know

Start with the OPD board of inquiry after-action report and definitely include the OPD radio transmissions from March 21. Follow up on these by reading as many news and LE articles, blogs, commentaries that you can find, especially via the Internet. And if you have access to any "inside intel," that's better yet.

January 12, 2010