BILL NUMBER: ACR 146 CHAPTERED BILL TEXT RESOLUTION CHAPTER 91 FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE AUGUST 17, 2010 ADOPTED IN SENATE AUGUST 9, 2010 ADOPTED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 26, 2010 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Hayashi MARCH 16, 2010 Relative to the Sergeant Mark Dunakin, Sergeant Ervin Romans, and Officer John Hege Memorial Bridge. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST ACR 146, Hayashi. Sergeant Mark Dunakin, Sergeant Ervin Romans, and Officer John Hege Memorial Bridge. This measure would designate the Keller Avenue Bridge that crosses State Highway Route 580 in the City of Oakland as the Sergeant Mark Dunakin, Sergeant Ervin Romans, and Officer John Hege Memorial Bridge. The measure would also request the Department of Transportation to determine the cost for appropriate signs showing this special designation and, upon receiving donations from nonstate sources covering that cost, to erect those signs. WHEREAS, Sergeant Mark Dunakin, Sergeant Ervin Romans, and Officer John Hege proudly served the Oakland Police Department for 18 years, 13 years, and 10 years, respectively; and WHEREAS, Sergeant Dunakin began his career with the department in May 1991. During his career, he was assigned to several units of the department, including the Patrol Division, the Crime Prevention Unit, the Robbery Section, and the Homicide Unit; and WHEREAS, In 1999, Sergeant Dunakin was promoted to the rank of Sergeant of Police; and WHEREAS, While serving in the Homicide Unit, Sergeant Dunakin acted as one of the lead investigators of the "Nut Cases" gang, a group that terrorized Oakland in a 10-week crime wave in 2002 and 2003. Sergeant Dunakin's tireless work paid off when the gang was successfully arrested; and WHEREAS, Sergeant Dunakin lived in Tracy with his wife, Angela, and three children, ages 15, 13, and 8; and WHEREAS, Sergeant Ervin Romans started his career with the Oakland Police Department in 1996; and WHEREAS, Sergeant Romans' sense of duty and commitment to the department never wavered; in 1999, he received the Medal of Valor, the department's highest honor, for evacuating endangered residents from a fire in West Oakland; and WHEREAS, Sergeant Romans' expertise and attention to detail served the City of Oakland well when he become a Departmental Range Master, a position in which he trained hundreds of officers in the ethical and proper use of firearms and less lethal weapons; and WHEREAS, In 2005, Sergeant Romans was promoted to the rank of Sergeant of Police. As a sergeant, he supervised one of Oakland's crime reduction teams and served as the entry team leader on the department's Tactical Operations Team; and WHEREAS, Sergeant Romans was a father of six. He lived with his wife and two of his children in Danville; and WHEREAS, Officer John Hege started his career with the department as a volunteer reserve police officer in 1993. He was hired as a full-time police officer in 1999. Upon graduating from the Oakland Police Academy, he was assigned to the Bureau of Field Operations; and WHEREAS, After patrolling the streets of Oakland for 10 years, Officer Hege fulfilled a lifelong dream when he was transferred to the Traffic Operations Section and assigned as a motorcycle officer; and WHEREAS, Officer Hege gave his heart, soul, and a seemingly limitless amount of time to the Oakland Police Department, yet he always made time for his family and friends; and WHEREAS, Sergeant Dunakin, Sergeant Romans, and Officer Hege dedicated their lives to the pursuit of safety and justice; and WHEREAS, On March 21, 2009, Sergeant Dunakin was shot and killed and Officer Hege was mortally wounded during a traffic stop. Efforts to apprehend the suspect resulted in the death of Sergeant Romans; now, therefore, be it Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate thereof concurring, That the Legislature hereby designates the Keller Avenue Bridge that crosses State Highway Route 580 in the City of Oakland as the Sergeant Mark Dunakin, Sergeant Ervin Romans, and Officer John Hege Memorial Bridge; and be it further Resolved, That the Department of Transportation is requested to determine the cost of appropriate signs, consistent with the signing requirements for the state highway system, showing this special designation and, upon receiving donations from nonstate sources sufficient to cover that cost, to erect those signs; and be it further Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the Department of Transportation and to the author for appropriate distribution.