An Oakland Police honor guard stands his post next to the flag-draped caskets of Oakland Police Officers Oakland Police Officers Sgt. Mark Dunakin, 40, John Hege, 41, Sgt. Ervin Romans, 43, and Sgt. Daniel Sakai, 35, in Oracle Arena on Friday, Mar. 27, 2009, in Oakland, Calif. Thousands of mourners have gathered with the families of four slain Oakland police officers for a joint funeral that drew law enforcement from around the world. (AP Photo/Michael Macor, Pool)
Carson City Undersheriff Steve Albertsen and six members of the sheriff's honor guard joined members of the Douglas County Sheriff's honor guard and thousands of other law enforcement officers from across the nation Friday for the funerals of four Oakland policemen killed last week in the line of duty.
More than 20,000 people packed the Oracle Arena for the service.
It was estimated 25 percent of those were law enforcement officers from across the United States.
Three Oakland officers were killed March 21 and a fourth died Monday after he was removed from life support.
Their killer, a 26-year-old Oakland parolee, was shot dead by police after he fired on officers who stormed an apartment building where he was hiding.
"We provide an honor guard out of respect for our fellow officers. These are our brother officers who made the ultimate sacrifice," said Douglas County Undersheriff Paul Howell.
The entire 815-member Oakland Police Department, wearing dress white caps and gloves and black mourning bands on their badges, filled the front rows, saluting their fallen brethren as their flag-draped caskets were carried inside.
Howell said the honor guard members left for Oakland Thursday and returned Friday. He said the sheriff's office provided two marked vehicles and the fuel for the trip, but the officers went on their own time and paid all their expenses.
Howell said the sheriff's office was deeply affected by the Oakland killings.
"It was very terrible," he said. "That's not that big of a department. As an administrator, you ask yourself how do you recover from that?"
Albertsen and the Carson honor guard also left Thursday evening, said Sheriff Ken Furlong.
"Some of those officers in Oakland are associated with our officers here," he said. "The ripple effect that Oakland is suffering is felt right through this entire department."
"The first two officers shot down were doing nothing more than a traffic stop," he said. "We do that every hour of every day."