Oakland, CA — On Friday, October 30, 2015, at 10:00 AM, 35 members of the 172nd Oakland Police Recruit Academy graduated at the Scottish Rite Center.
Oakland Police Chief Sean Whent was joined on stage by Mayor Libby Schaaf, City Administrator Sabrina Landreth, Assistant Chief Paul Figueroa, Deputy Chief David Downing, Deputy Chief Danielle Outlaw, Deputy Chief John Lois, Oakland Police Officers Association representative Sergeant Bryan Hubbard, Personnel Resources & Training Division Commander Captain Drennon Lindsey and Training Section staff: Lieutenant Sekou Millington, Sergeant Mary Guttormson, Recruit Training Officers Luke Sincerny and Rob Romero.
Celebratory cheers from family and friends rang out as Lieutenant Sekou Millington announced the names of our new officers and welcomed them to the ranks of the Oakland Police Department.
Chief Whent thanked the graduates’ families and loved ones for supporting them during the arduous half year academy training. He encouraged the graduates to remember that “the badge on your chest is a symbol of the public’s trust. Each day you put it on, I encourage you to remember that trust and commit to serve the people of Oakland in a manner worthy of their belief in your integrity.”
The 35 newly sworn Police Officers are:
• Kaleo P. Albino
• Charlie Alvarez
• Gilberto R. Aranda
• Janay A. Barnes
• Haydee Chacon
• Victoria DeNardi
• Joseph A. Endaya
• James M. Gatke
• Yusef A. Ghazi
• Lonnie D. Griffin III
• Jonathan C. Gutierrez
• David D. Ha
• Darnella J. Jenkins
• Khambo Keomanee
• Cesar Leyva
• Christopher M. Lorenz
• Luan D. Mai
• Alejandra Maldonado
• Revea A. Martinez
• Alexis H. Mejia
• Desiree L. Minor
• Michael Nuon
• David S. Parrish
• Matthew D. Reiton
• Hardeep Singh
• Sheldon R. Sumpter
• Aaron J. Susman
• Craig R. Tanaka
• Gabriel R. Urquiza-Leibin
• Jonathan D. Villaluna
• Logan B. Wiens
• Zackary A. Williams
• Mark W. Wilson
• Jacob M. Witul
• Robert J. Yarborough
Most new officers received their badges from Chief Sean Whent, although five had the honor of being pinned by members of their own family who currently serve or have served in law enforcement:
• Kaleo Albino by his brother, Kaiser Albino Jr., Los Angeles PD
• Victoria DeNardi by her father, retired OPD officer Gino DeNardi
• Darnella Jenkins by her uncle, retired OPD officer Richard Williams
• Cesar Leyva by his brother, OPD officer Ernesto Leyva
• Luan Mai by his brother, OPD officer Chau Mai
Christopher Lorenz was honored as class valedictorian for having maintained the highest overall academic and performance standing in the class.
The diversity of Oakland is reflected in the 35-member class. Graduating members of the 172nd Basic Academy include eighteen college graduates, seven women, and eight Oakland residents. Several are bilingual: six speak Spanish, and one each speak Cantonese, Hindi, Khmu, and Vietnamese. Ethnic makeup of the class is fairly evenly balanced between African-American, Asian, Caucasian and Latino. The graduates are a welcome addition to our Oakland family and represent another step forward in our efforts to grow the Police Department and increase public safety in the City of Oakland.
For more information, please contact the Media Relations Office at 510-238-7230 or [email protected].
Visit Nixle.com to receive Oakland Police Department alerts, advisories and community messages, or follow OPD on Twitter, @oaklandpoliceca.
