Full Notification

Oakland, CA – On Friday, September 20, 2013 at 10:00 AM, the 167th Oakland Police Academy graduated at the Scottish Rite Center, 1547 Lakeside Drive, Oakland, CA.

Oakland Police Chief Sean Whent was joined by Mayor Jean Quan; Assistant Chief Paul Figueroa; Deputy Chief Eric Breshears; Deputy Chief David Downing; Deputy Chief Danielle Outlaw; Oakland Police Officers Association President Sergeant Barry Donelan; Personnel Resources & Training Division Commander Captain Donna Hoppenhauer and Training Section staff: Lieutenant Sekou Millington, Sergeant Mary Guttormson, Officer Shane Tarum, Officer Robert Romero, Officer Kathryn Jones; as well as dignitaries and representatives from the City.

The ceremony brought cheers from the crowd as Chief Whent announced the names of the new officers and spoke of how uplifting and motivational it is to have new officers join the ranks of the Oakland Police Department. The Chief went on to say, “These new officers have joined our family and community today to serve you as we reduce crime and enhance our community relationships.”

The Academy started with 51 recruits and today 36 successfully completed the six- month course.

The 36 graduates are:

Kenneth Au
Laura Baker
Brooklyn Beckwith
Colin Cameron – Top Gun
Tony Chang
Primitivo Cruz
Nikola Dokic
Raul Elias
Mario Fajardo – Valedictorian
Michael Fox
Robert Gallinatti
Matthew Galvan
Rishna Gracie
Christopher Hatcher
Joel Hight
Shaun Hunt
Shawn Jing
Robert Malone – Physical Fitness
Avjeet Mann
Ja-Ney Meeks
Ronald Moore
Jorge Navarro
Beau Nelson
Mae Phu
Bryan Pong
Gabriel Resendez
Gregory Rosin
Gregory Ruef
Erwin Samaniego
Matthew Smith
Michael Tacchini
Kristina Tikkanen
Andriy Volynets
Jeffrey Wildman – Excellence in Academic Achievement
Jerry Wingate
Jordan Woo

While most trainees received their badges from Chief Sean Whent, eight had the honor of being pinned by members of their own family who also serve or served in law enforcement:

•Matthew Galvan – father, Edward Galvan, Berkeley Police Officer
•Rishna Gracie – wife, Teresa Gracie, San Francisco Police Lieutenant
•Robert Malone – cousin, Marquise Mangram, Orange County Sheriff’s Deputy
•Ja-Ney Meeks – father, James Meeks, retired OPD Lieutenant
•Mae Phu – sister, Asvi Phoung, California Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation Officer
•Bryan Pong – uncle, Don Mattei, retired Belmont Police Chief
•Gregory Rosin – father, David Rosin, retired OPD Sergeant and brother, Robert Rosin, OPD Officer
•Michael Tacchini – father, Steve Tacchini, retired San Francisco Police Captain

Four members of the 167th academy were honored for their achievements during the six-month training period. Officer Colin Cameron was awarded Top Gun for highest overall score in the firearms qualification practical examination, which includes both shotgun and handgun testing. Officer Robert Malone was awarded the Physical Fitness award for achieving the highest overall point total in the physical training assessment tests and the POST work sample test battery. Officer Jeffrey Wildman was honored for excellence in academic achievement for highest combined total in all academic learning domains. And for highest overall academic and performance standing in the class, Officer Mario Fajardo was named class valedictorian.

Our new officers are a diverse mix of ethnicities and nationalities. Six are women. Most are college graduates. Several are bilingual.

With palpable pride, the new officers vowed to protect, honor, and serve.

For more information, please contact the Media Relations Office at 510-238-7230 or [email protected]. or Visit Nixle.com to receive Oakland Police Department alerts, advisories and community messages, or follow OPD on Twitter, @oaklandpoliceca.

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