[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 49 (Monday, March 23, 2009)]
[House]
[Pages H3721-H3722]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1930
             TRIBUTE TO FOUR FALLEN OAKLAND POLICE OFFICERS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening with a heavy 
heart on behalf of the residents of my congressional district, the 
Ninth Congressional District of California, to pay tribute to four 
fallen heroes from the Bay Area.
  This weekend, Sergeant Mark Dunakin, Sergeant Ervin Romans, Sergeant 
Daniel Sakai and Officer John Hege, all members of the Oakland Police 
Department, were brutally gunned down while serving in the line of 
duty.
  Oftentimes members of law enforcement go unnoticed. But they provide 
a critical service to help protect our communities. These men performed 
their jobs to the fullest every day, knowing that there was a 
possibility that they would ultimately give their lives in service to 
their community. Today we honor them and join their families and our 
community in not only mourning their loss but remembering the 
sacrifices that they made to protect the people of Oakland, California.
  I feel that it is very important that everyone remember that these 
brave men were not nameless, faceless individuals. They were husbands, 
they were fathers, they were brothers, they were dear friends to many.
  Sergeant Dunakin lived in Tracy, California, and was on the police 
force for 18 years. He was a graduate of Chabot College in Hayward. He 
was promoted to sergeant in 1999 and worked homicide cases in the 
criminal division. Following his transfer to the traffic division, he 
was active in the Click It or Ticket campaign and took part in multi-
agency crackdowns on drunken driving suspects. Captain Ed Tracey 
described Sergeant Dunakin as ``Just a cop's cop. He's OPD to the bone. 
He is absolutely committed to anything that he leads.'' He leaves to 
mourn his wife, Angela, and his three children.
  Sergeant Romans, 43, of Danville, was an Oakland officer since 1996. 
He was a member of the entry team, and was considered one of the most 
adept members of the Oakland Police SWAT team by his colleagues. Erv, 
as he was affectionately known, was promoted to sergeant in 2005 and 
worked narcotics cases, making a number of high-profile drug busts. He 
leaves behind three children.
  Sergeant Daniel Sakai of Castro Valley was 35 years old. He was 
considered a rising star on the Oakland Police SWAT team and was 
recently named a leader of the entry team. Before joining the SWAT 
team, Sergeant Sakai worked as a K-9 officer responding to calls with 
his dog, Doc. He loved nature and studied forestry at UC Berkeley, 
where he also worked as a community service officer escorting students 
around campus at night. After graduation, he spent a year in Japan 
teaching English. He leaves his wife, Jennifer, and a young daughter.
  Officer John Hege, who was 41 years old, joined the Oakland Police 
Department 10 years ago after serving as a reserve officer. He 
graduated from St. Mary's College in Moraga, California, and had taught 
physical education and oversaw study hall at Tennyson High School in 
Hayward. He lived with his dog on a small cul-de-sac in Concord, 
California. While off-duty, he was a high school baseball umpire. 
Officer Hege also wanted to be a motorcycle cop for many years, and in 
the last few months he finally got his wish. His colleagues noted that 
he was always the first to respond on the radio to actually assist 
other officers or to help on a project.
  It is my sincere prayer that, in light of this tragedy, we begin to 
reexamine how we are addressing the ongoing violence which plagues our 
country. The events in Oakland this weekend are a prime example of why 
we must address the gaps that we have in our parole system and also 
renew our efforts to ban the sale of military style assault weapons in 
this country. It is hard enough being a police officer without the 
added pressure of knowing that there could be assault rifles embedded 
throughout our communities.
  We cannot bring back these brave men, but through their deaths we can 
work and put in place policies that will make our communities safer for 
the people who live there and also for the police officers who 
oftentimes have a very dangerous job protecting them. The death of 
these four officers is really an incomprehensible tragedy that is 
difficult for all of us to fathom.
  I extend my deepest sympathies to the family members of the four 
officers. This is a very difficult time for members of the Oakland 
Police Department, the City of Oakland and my entire congressional 
district, actually, for the entire State of California. My heart goes 
out to all of those members of the police force who are mourning the 
loss of their brothers. Our prayers

[[Page H3722]]

are with the family and the friends of these brave young men and women 
during this very solemn time.

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