Sacramento Asian Peace Officers Association: News

Vu Nguyen remembered

From Sacbee.com --

In the front row of a cathedral packed with uniformed officers, Detective Vu Nguyen's mother looked at a glossy photo of her son, held it against her chest and then looked at it again.

The moment was a silent reminder of a message that the fallen deputy's commanders, priest and brothers repeated throughout Thursday's funeral service at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament: He was admired and respected and will be missed.

"Honor – for some, it is something you do," said Sacramento County Sheriff's Chief Deputy Mark Iwasa. "For others, it is something you say. For Detective Vu Nguyen, it was simply who he was."

An estimated 4,000 people came to pay respects to Vu Dinh Nguyen, 37, who died in the line of duty Dec. 19.

Mourners filled the 1,300 seats of the Italian Renaissance cathedral and the 1,400-person-capacity Sacramento Convention Center, where some stood to view a live broadcast of the funeral.

Nguyen, a seven-year veteran of the Sheriff's Department, was on gang detail in south Sacramento when he was shot while pursuing a fleeing youth on foot.

Wounded by a bullet to the neck, Nguyen was rushed to UC Davis Medical Center but died as a result of the wound.

In less than 12 hours, sheriff's detectives whisked 16-year-old Jimmy Siackasorn from his sister's home to juvenile hall, where he is being held on charges of homicide. Siackasorn, who is being prosecuted as an adult, is due back in court Jan. 28. If convicted, he is not eligible for the death penalty because of his age.

"Clearly Detective Nguyen put the safety of the persons he was sworn to protect and serve above himself," Sheriff John McGinness said. "In an instant, his valor cost him his life."

Before a word was uttered in the cathedral, Nguyen was eulogized with the boom of the snare drums echoing between downtown buildings, the hollow whipping of city, county and state flags flown at half-staff and the muted footfalls of hundreds of officers from San Diego to Oakland to Truckee marching four abreast.

Joel Ryan, who works near the K Street mall, stopped to watch the procession from the north side of the Capitol to the church.

"The colors – the black uniforms, the white Capitol and the green," he said noting the tree canopy above the spit-shined officers. "It's breathtaking. I think it's a really appropriate way to honor service to the community."

After the mournful strain of bagpipes gave way to organ music filling the sanctuary, Nguyen's wife, mother, father, two brothers and five sisters filled the front pew.

McGinness and top commanders sat in an adjacent pew and two deputies stood sentinel beside the casket.

Monsignor James Murphy spoke of Nguyen's loss – to the community, his department, his family and the parish he attended regularly. He called Nguyen a "born protector."

"While today is sad," Murphy said, "it's a proud day for law enforcement. You have lost a brother you can be proud of."

During the services, Murphy announced that the family had called on him to lead a prayer for Nguyen's assailant. Murphy prayed that the "troubled teen" find peace.

The family came to America the day before the fall of Saigon in 1975, said Dr. Thang Nguyen, Vu Nguyen's oldest brother.

Vu Nguyen was 5 when his family escaped Vietnam in the American Embassy airlift.

"Make no mistake about it," Thang Nguyen said, "it was dramatic."

Thang Nguyen said his brother could have fallen into a gang while growing up in a violent neighborhood in Modesto.

Instead, Vu Nguyen went to California State University, Sacramento, and the sheriff's academy, where he earned high honors. He achieved his dream of becoming a gang detective in April.

"He ultimately died trying to make a violent neighborhood a safer place," Thang Nguyen said.

Nguyen's supervisor, Sgt. Randall Yen, patted the casket twice as he walked to the lectern. He recalled that detectives used to tease Nguyen about his size, ordering him a high chair at restaurants.

He spoke of Nguyen's humility, how it took him six months to call his boss "Randy." And Yen read the mission of the gang detective's unit, which includes gathering intelligence, suppressing crime and reaching out to at-risk teens.

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GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER’S ANTI-GANG INITIATIVE COMMITTEE APPOINTMENT

On September 5, 2007, APOA Board Member and Sacramento Sheriff’s Lt. Harvey Woo was appointed to Governor Schwarzenegger’s state wide Gang Advisory Committee. The ten-member Committee is made up of Law Enforcement, Educators, Faith based and community based organizations. Lt. Woo is one of only two law enforcement representatives on this committee.

This anti-gang initiative was designed to combat gang violence in California. The initiative (CalGRIP) will target more than $48 million in state and federal funding toward local anti-gang efforts. CalGRIP combines funding from different programs and directs them toward intervention, suppression and prevention.

The Sacramento Sheriff’s Department and the Sacramento APOA are very proud of Lt. Woo and his accomplishments. We have the utmost confidence in Lt Woo and we wish him much success as he serves the Governor and the citizens of the State of California in this capacity.