Oakland ‘Rookie of the Year’ cop remembered for his humor, passion

A valedictorian of Oakland's police academy, Jordan Wingate was a young cadet whose career was cut short right out the gate.

CASTRO VALLEY — The year that Jordan Wingate started at the Oakland police academy, he asked his father, then a veteran captain on the force, to pack him sandwiches — as Randy Wingate would do when his son was in school.

“I said, ‘Buddy, you’re 21 years old and you have gun — you can make your lunch,'” Randy, now retired, recalled Friday with a chuckle, as laughter echoed back toward him from close to 1,000 attendees gathered for Jordan’s memorial at 3 Crosses Church in Castro Valley.

Wingate continued, remembering how his son had responded, “Dad, I only eat half the stuff you make — your sandwiches suck. I only love the notes.” These were little messages, like “Love you,” that Randy would tuck into lunchboxes for his three children.

Jordan was the eldest, and on Friday the now-28-year-old Oakland officer lay in a closed casket draped in an American flag as his family members, friends, fellow OPD officers, elected East Bay leaders and law enforcement from across Northern California wiped away tears in remembrance.

The officer was critically injured in a late-night crash near the Port of Oakland on Aug. 13, 2018 while responding to an emergency call. His OPD-issued SUV had collided with a car emerging from the port’s berths and skidded into a big-rig truck.

After nearly a six-year battle, Wingate succumbed to his injuries last Saturday while surrounded by friends and family members, police said.

The memorial service Friday drew officers from California Highway Patrol, Alameda County Sheriff Yesenia Sanchez, sheriff’s deputies from Placer County and police from cities such as San Francisco, Albany and Fremont, as well as Oakland officials and numerous city cops.

Two trucks from the Oakland Fire Department hung the country’s flag between a pair of aerial ladders under mostly clear skies at the Castro Valley church, where another fallen OPD officer, Tuan Le, was honored at a memorial in January.

The hundreds gathered began making their way into the church shortly after 11 a.m. and were greeted by soft acoustic music. A stage before them was adorned with radiant purple-and-blue wreaths, each side flanked by portraits of Wingate.

He was the 55th Oakland police officer to be killed in the line of duty, explained pastor Larry Vold, a chaplain of the Alameda County Fire Department who led a 55-second moment of silence to commemorate the officer known for his silly manner and dedication to police work.

“Officers are constantly warned about the possibilities of losing someone we care deeply about in the line of duty,” Danielle Juarez, a pallbearer and one of Wingate’s closest friends at OPD said through tears.

“We’re expected to be tougher than everyone else in society and overcome any challenge placed before us,” Juarez, now a Pleasant Hill police officer, continued. “The reality is we’re all human, and I’ve never felt more human as I stand here today honoring Jordan.”

Wingate, born in Walnut Creek and raised in Brentwood, was the valedictorian of Oakland’s 176th police academy, a class of recruited who graduated in 2017.

He was a young cadet — the department’s “Rookie of the Year” in 2018 — on the cusp of a long career following the footsteps of both his father and his godfather, William “Willie” Wilkins, an OPD veteran accidentally killed in 2001 by fellow officers while he was in plainclothes.

Darren Allison, the interim chief of OPD, remembered being in the hospital waiting room in August 2018 “in constant vigil, as we held onto hope that Jordan would recover.”

“We knew he was strong,” Allison said. “But we could never foresee the fight he was about to undertake. Five years, eight months, seven days — despite pain and adversity, Jordan courageously battled injuries, fighting every moment to live. While confined to a bed, he showed strength, determination and a warrior spirit.”

Nearly everyone who spoke Friday remembered Wingate’s lighthearted demeanor, his love of practical jokes, his ability to turn an ordinary day into an adventure.

His sister, Autumn Wingate, noted Jordan’s protective spirit, recalling a day when she, Jordan and their brother Nathan bonded over the song “Free Bird” by Lynyrd Skynyrd.

“It’s very ironic that the first lyrics of that song are, ‘If I leave here tomorrow, would you still remember me?'” Autumn recalled, gasping back tears. “And the answer is yes, Jordan, we will…Thank you for showing me the real meaning of strength.”

Staff writer Harry Harris contributed to this story.