Outstanding employees also recognized at City Hall event
The Alameda Police Department held a ceremony at City Hall on Tuesday afternoon to celebrate new officers and employees, a promotion, and commendations for several APD employees. Officers and their family members gathered in Council Chambers for the hour-long event along with City officials, including Mayor Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft, Councilmember Tracy Jensen, Assistant City Manager Amy Wooldridge (who is Acting City Manager while CM Jennifer Ott is away), and Alameda Fire Chief Nicholas Luby.
Welcome and introduction
APD Captain Jeffery Emmitt was the master of ceremonies for the event, which started at 4 p.m. The program began with short remarks from Mayor Ashcraft. “This is challenging work, but if you have to choose a community, this is a wonderful community to work in,” she said. “Welcome to all of you, congratulations to those of you receiving commendations.”
Capt. Emmitt then introduced APD Chief Nishant Joshi, who took the event on a different track by declaring, “I really love these ceremonies, because we honor our new hires, promotions, and even birthdays! Lt. [Alan] Kuboyama, front and center!” The chief then presented balloons and a cake to the mortified lieutenant, who stood patiently while the crowd sang “Happy Birthday” to him.
Chief Joshi thanked the City Manager, Mayor, and City Council for their support before continuing in a more sober tone. “Today our new officers and newly promoted sergeant will take an oath that promises their commitment to justice, equity, and the highest levels of quality service our residents, businesses, and visitors deserve. As members of the Alameda Police Department, we take that oath very seriously.”
Siebert promoted to sergeant
Capt. Emmitt returned to the podium to introduce Tysen Siebert, who received a promotion to sergeant. Emmitt declared, “There is no other position that has the influence to impact positive change, not only within the organization, but within the community as well. Tysen is that type of person I would follow anywhere in this agency…I think we started about six months from each other, and to see him standing here today with stripes on his sleeves makes me proud.”
Sergeant Siebert is a graduate of the Napa Valley Police Academy, Class 37, attended El Cerrito High School and California Coast University, and was assigned Badge #8. During his tenure with the APD, Siebert has been a patrol officer, traffic officer, part of the Marine Patrol unit and the MAIT (Major Accident Investigation Team), on the bike patrol, a defensive tactics instructor, a housing officer, and most recently, part of the Community Resource unit.
Speaking of Siebert’s time as a traffic officer, Captain Emmitt remarked, “Making traffic stops is not an enjoyable thing for police officers or for the citizens. Do you know how many complaints then-Officer Siebert received as a traffic officer during his six-year stint? Zero. Zero. That’s the type of service that all of us can strive for even though he was doing a difficult job. He did it with professionalism, courtesy, and respect.”
New APD hires
After Sergeant Siebert recited the oath and had his badge pinned to his uniform by his wife, three new officers were sworn in as members of the Alameda Police Department. Officer Thomas Trin comes to APD from the BART Police Department and will wear Badge #96. A graduate of Alameda’s Island High School, Trin graduated from CSU East Bay, and Class 170 of the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office.
Officer David Wharton, also a former BART officer, served in the US Air Force after graduating from San Leandro High School, Chabot College, and California Coast University. He received his training at the South Bay Regional Public Safety Training Consortium, a San Jose-area police academy. He will wear Badge #35.
The third new officer to be sworn in, José Mercado, graduated from San Francisco’s Downtown High School and Class 190 of the Oakland Police Academy. He previously was an Oakland PD officer and will wear Badge #17. After reciting the oath together, led by Chief Joshi, the officers had their new badges pinned to their uniforms by one of their family members in attendance.
The department also celebrated the hire of three employees for non-officer roles. Lauren Guererro was hired as a dispatcher, Alejandra Lara as a Police Assistant, and Emma Coronado is now employed as an Administrative Assistant 1.
Commendations and recognition
The program then turned to recognizing achievements by current officers and employees. Chief Joshi started by praising Officer Shannon Yunck, who was injured the previous day and could not attend the event. On July 7, 2023, the Chief explained, Officer Yunck responded to assist with a domestic violence call for service. During the investigation, she noticed the four children looked poorly cared for and hungry, so she bought a $150 gift card and gave it to the mother to buy groceries. The officer paid for the gift card herself and made no mention of it to her fellow officers. Another officer on the scene let Chief Joshi know about Yunck’s actions.
“Officer Yunck’s compassion and empathy are the epitome of the roles and responsibilities of a police officer in the 21st century,” said Joshi. “I know she’s not here, but I think that’s worth recognizing.”
Other department members named employees of the month were recognized, including dispatcher Suzee Meno for March, Animal Control Officer Alaina Onesko for April, Jeanette Thompson and Officer Bronte Cintrone for May, Rosaleen Daniels and Detective Robert Hansen for June, and the newly-hired Emma Coronado and Officer Jacob Martin for July.
The event concluded by serving Lt. Kuboyama’s birthday cake along with refreshments for the honorees, their guests, and other attendees. The department plans to return to a regular schedule of these celebratory events as they continue their push to fill out their ranks by offering a $75,000 hiring bonus for new officers.
Adam Gillitt is the Publisher of the Alameda Post. Reach him at [email protected]. His writing is collected at AlamedaPost.com/Adam-Gillitt.
