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OAKLAND — For the first time in 24 years, relatives and close friends who would attend the annual memorial ceremony honoring Oakland police officers killed in the line of duty were not allowed to because of the coronavirus pandemic.
But interim Chief of Police Susan Manheimer and Mayor Libby Schaaf made sure in their remarks that the 53 officers killed since 1867 and their loved ones were not forgotten. and never would be.
The chief and mayor spoke in the lobby of a hushed police headquarters after police honor guard members Sgt. William Bacon and Officer Daniel Kemmitt placed a wreath of yellow roses, daisies and chrysanthemums in front of a marble wall that bears the names of the 53 officers, while San Francisco police Sgt. Larry Chan played “Amazing Grace” on bagpipes.
Normally more than 200 mourners would be in attendance, but because of the pandemic just a few dozen rank and file officers, all wearing masks with black tape across their badges, were present. Sgt. Barry Donelan, president of the Oakland Police Officers Association, which coordinated the ceremony, said it was to honor not only fallen police officers but to recognize other first responders and essential workers “toiling during this pandemic” and support those infected.
Manheimer, a 35-year law enforcement veteran who retired as San Mateo police chief last year and became Oakland interim chief in April, said that each of the names on the wall are “sons, brothers, husbands, fathers and friends. Each are loved, missed and never forgotten. You forever will live in our hearts.”
She said their sacrifices, and those of other law enforcement officers killed across the county, “define the valor and nobility of our profession.”
To the families and loved ones absent from the ceremony, she said “we are with you today and everyday as you are forever in our hearts and prayers — we will never forget you.
“To our OPD family who have also lost their co-workers, partners and friends, we are here for you, we support you.”
She thanked Oakland officers past and present “for your dedication and commitment; your job is to run towards danger, to protect and serve our community and this great city. No matter the crisis, no matter the events that unfold, even when it means putting your life on the line, officers show up to protect and serve. Thank you for each and every day you continue to do this valorous job.”
Schaff, who has attended many of the memorials, said she missed that group of family and friends that would normally be present, with who “we shared tears and remembrances of grief.”
She expressed her gratitude to them and to officers “who show up every day to work, … who walk by this wall every day and subject themselves to the ultimate sacrifice and uncertainty. You have watched colleagues fall and you continue to serve.with such courage. You are loved, appreciated and your service is of the highest value. Thank you very much.”
