On March 30, 2018, at 10:00 a.m., 13 members of
the Oakland Police Department’s 178th Basic Recruit Academy graduated. The
ceremony was held at the Scottish Rite Center.
Oakland Police Chief Anne E. Kirkpatrick was joined by Mayor Libby Schaaf,
Deputy Chief Leronne Armstrong, Deputy Director Virginia Gleason, Oakland
Police Officers Association representative Sergeant Barry Donelan, Training
Division Commander Captain Jake Bassett and Training Section staff: Sergeant
Bryan Hubbard, and Recruit Training Officers Maria Madlansacay, Jeffery Cid,
and Francisco Romero. OPD Chaplain Father Jason Landeza gave the
invocation.
Celebratory cheers from family and friends rang out as the graduates were
announced and welcomed to the ranks of the Oakland Police Department. Chief
Kirkpatrick thanked the graduates’ families and loved ones for supporting them
during the demanding half year academy training.
The 13 newly sworn Police Officers are:
1. Kimberly Albino
2. Brandon Beal
3. Joshua Faleafine
4. Ricardo Gomez
5. Imani Hiller-Bateau
6. Alvin Mai
7. Edvin Mendez
8. Allen Nunley IV
9. Elizabeth Pelayo
10. Soledad Ramirez
11. Ruben Reyes
12. Homayoon Saffarian
13. Jose Vega
Most new officers received their badges from Chief Kirkpatrick, although five
had the honor of being pinned by members of their own family who currently
serve or have served in law enforcement:
1. Elizabeth Pelayo: badge pinned by her cousin, OPD Officer Gloria Beltran
2. Joshua Faleafine: badge pinned by his father, retired OPD Officer Sammy Faleafine
3. Kimberly Albino: badge pinned by her husband, OPD Officer Kaleo Albino
4. Ruben Reyes: badge pinned by his brother, OPD Officer Cristobal Reyes.
5. Alvin Mai: badge pinned by his brothers, OPD Officers Chau Mai and Luan Mai.
Edvin Mendez was honored as class valedictorian for having maintained the
highest overall academic standing in the class. He was also a recipient of the
firearms, force options and RBT award. Ruben Reyes received the esprit de
corps award, and Kimberly Albino was honored with the physical fitness and
defensive tactics awards.
In several important ways, the 178th academy class is a well-rounded
group. Two graduates live in Oakland; most of the class are in their
twenties; one class member speaks Vietnamese and six speak Spanish. Over
half have an associate’s or bachelor’s degree and one class member has a
master’s degree. With four female graduates, women make up nearly a third
of the class.
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 opdmedia@oaklandca.gov.