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Published in the Sacramento Bee - December 22, 2008
California Highway Patrolman Joseph Sanders was laid to rest today, one day after the 29-year-old officer would have successfully completed his probation period.
Sanders, a Galt High School graduate, had served just 359 days as a CHP officer - his longtime goal - before he was struck and killed one week ago today while conducting traffic in heavy rain on a Los Angeles County highway.
Hundreds of family, friends and uniformed officers gathered in Elk Grove this morning to remember Sanders, who had been assigned to the CHP's Santa Fe Springs area office in Southern California. Law enforcement officers from all across the state -- including a large contingent from Southern California -- and as far away as Texas filled the First Baptist Church to memorialize Sanders.
Sanders' death marks the CHP's first line-of-duty death of 2008 and the 214th in the CHP's 79-year history.
Sanders is survived by his wife, Tondria, who is pregnant; the couple's four children; his parents; and two sisters.
Published in the Lodi News from 12/20/2008
CHP Officer Joseph P. Sanders died in the line of duty on Monday, December 15, 2008.
Born in Sacramento on March 7, 1979, he grew up in the Galt-Acampo area. He enjoyed raising and showing sheep with his mother. Together they won several awards but his main passion was sports.
Joe enjoyed all sports, especially football and wrestling. He played for the Galt High Football team and went to sections in wrestling in his senior year. After graduating from Galt High School Joe joined the Marines spending time in Camp Pendleton, 1 year Okinawa and time in Iraq.
Joe married Tondria Myrick in October 2004 in Camp LaJune, N.C.
Joe finally came back to Galt in 2006 and became a CHP Officer.
Joe is survived by his daughter, Savannah Sanders of Texas; sons, Trentenn, John and Silas of Corona and one child on the way; parents, Wayne and Beverly Sanders of Jarbidge, NV; sisters, Angela Sanders of Modesto and Rebecca (Mike) Heinrich; and nephew, Brady all of Modesto; in-laws, John and Andrea Myrick of Galt; aunts and uncles: Connie (Brian) Hicks of Acampo, Barbara (Herman) Christenson of Fresno, Philis (Richard) Sanders of Spring Creek, NV, David (Penny) Sanders of Montana, Nancy Singh of Elk Grove and Allen (Pam) Sanders of Washington and a host of relatives and friends.
Visitation will be from 9 to 4 p.m. Sunday, December 21, 2008 at Ben Salas Funeral Home.
Funeral services will be Monday, December 22, 2008 at 11 a.m. at First Baptist Church of Elk Grove, 8939 E. Stockton Blvd., Elk Grove. Reception to follow in Galt at The Littleton Center.
Published in the Stockton Record - December 19, 2008
LODI - A California Highway Patrol Officer who died Dec. 15 while on duty in Southern California will be buried in Lodi on Monday.
Officer Joseph Sanders, 29, was conducting a traffic stop at 4:20 a.m. on State Route 60 in Hacienda Heights when he was run over by a car that lost control and struck him, the CHP reported. The area was dark and the streets slicked with rain, the CHP said. The car that hit Sanders was struck by another car first, pushing it out of control.
Sanders grew up in Galt and is a graduate of Galt High School. He joined the CHP in 2007.
He is survived by a pregnant wife and three children, ages 7, 3 and 10 months.
A viewing will be held at Ben Salas Mortuary, 149 4th Ave. in Galt, from 4 to 6 p.m. Sunday for family and friends and 6 to 8 p.m. for others.
A memorial will be held at 11 a.m. Monday at First Baptist Church, 8939 East Stockton Blvd. in Elk Grove. A procession lead by Santa Fe CHP officers will take Sanders to Cherokee Memorial Park and Funeral Home, 831 Industrial Way, Lodi, for burial.
Published in the Whittier Daily News, CA - December 16, 2008
SANTA FE SPRINGS - Funeral services will be held next week for a CHP officer who was struck and killed Monday by a driver who had hit another car on the rain-slick 60 Freeway.
Officer Joseph Sanders, 29, was fatally struck by a car that collided with another on the eastbound 60 Freeway at Azusa Avenue in Hacienda Heights.
The officer and his partner were helping a pickup truck driver who had crashed earlier. Sanders was putting down safety flares.
Sgt. Mark Garrett said the funeral service will be 11 a.m. Monday at First Baptist Church, 8939 E. Stockton Blvd. in Elk Grove. Sanders will be buried at the Cherokee Memorial Cemetery in Lodi.
Sanders is the ninth Santa Fe Springs CHP officer killed since 1929.
On Tuesday, officers from other CHP stations covered for their Santa Fe Springs colleagues, who were offered counseling sessions and went to debriefing, according to Capt. Chris O'Quinn, who was filling in for Capt. Dan Minor.
Sanders' wife, who is pregnant with the couple's fourth child, declined to be interviewed on Tuesday, as did fellow CHP officers at the station who knew him.
CHP spokesman Steve Kohler explained the officers' reticence to talk about Sanders.
"It's like a death in the family. It's so soon after it happened. Everybody needs a little time to adjust," Kohler said.
Officer Al Perez, who is the public information officer at the station, said they're all doing the best they can under the circumstances.
Residents expressed sympathy by sending flowers or offering support to the Sanders family. Other law enforcement officers extended their condolences.
"We know that this news must be devastating to the family, colleagues and friends of Officer Joe Sanders, who put his life on the line so residents could be safe and secure on the highways," said Paul M. Weber, president of the Los Angeles Police Protective League in a statement.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with his CHP community, as well as his family and friends in what must be a very difficult holiday season."
The league represents Los Angeles Police Department officers.
Sanders, a Corona resident, served in the Marine Corps. before joining the CHP. He graduated from the CHP Academy on Dec. 21, 2007, and was assigned to the Santa Fe Springs CHP office, Kohler said.
Before Monday's fatal crash, Santa Fe Springs had two officers killed in the line of duty within the past five years.
On Sept. 23, 2005, Officer David Romero was stopped on Turnbull Canyon Road at Valley Boulevard in Industry when his motorcycle was rear-ended. The 47-year-old was knocked off his bike. He died at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center.
On April 21, 2004, Officer Thomas J. Steiner finished testifying in several traffic cases and left Pomona Superior Court. The 35-year-old worked the commercial vehicle enforcement detail and wore a blue uniform.
Steiner was spotted by 16-year-old Valentino Mitchell Arenas, who later told police he wanted to impress a Pomona street gang by killing an officer. Arenas fired several shots at Steiner, hitting the father of two in the head.
Arenas pleaded guilty to the murder and is serving life in prison without parole.
Information on CHP officers killed in the line of duty since 1929 can be found at http://www.chp.ca.gov/memorial/index.html.
Published in the San Gabriel Valley Tribune - December 16, 2008
INDUSTRY, CA - A Santa Fe Springs CHP officer was killed early Monday when a car collided with another vehicle then hit him, authorities said.
Officer Joseph Sanders, 29, and his partner were working the graveyard shift around 4:20 a.m. when they encountered a pickup truck that spun out on the 60 Freeway near Azusa Avenue. While Sanders' partner was talking to the driver, the second traffic accident occurred, fatally injuring the officer.
Officers closed the eastbound 60 freeway from the 605 freeway to Azusa Avenue for at least 8 hours as they investigated the scene.
Sanders, a Marine Corp veteran who fought in Iraq, had been on the job about a year. He lived in Carona and leaves behind a pregnant wife and three children ages 7, 3, and 10 months.
"These losses are tragic and we feel them deeply,' CHP Capt. Dan Minor said.
The death was the agency's first officer fatality of the year. Sanders is the 214th officer the CHP has lost since it was created in 1929, said spokesman Steve Cohler.
Last year, three CHP officers died in the line of duty statewide.
Sanders, who grew up in Lodi, was flown by helicopter to Los Angeles County USC Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.
Officials said speeding may have resulted in the crash.
The drivers of the pickup and two cars were being questioned by CHP investigators. No one has been arrested.
The pickup truck and the two cars were still at the scene by Advertisement mid-morning. The damaged pickup was in front of the patrol car.
The collision was one of many a rainy Monday morning.
The rain caused traffic collisions, flooding and back-ups throughout the San Gabriel Valley and Los Angeles County, CHP spokesman Terry Liu said.
"Drivers need to remember that in these weather conditions, they need to slow down, allow extra time to get to their destination, and make sure everything on their vehicle is working," Liu said.
Published in the Redlands Daily Facts - December 15, 2008
Corona resident hit by car at crash site
INDUSTRY - A CHP officer helping at a crash scene was killed early Monday when a car in the rain collided with another vehicle that struck him, authorities said.
Officer Joseph Sanders, 29, of Corona was hit as he was putting flares down about 4:20a.m. on the eastbound 60 Freeway at Azusa Avenue. Sanders and his partner were dealing with an earlier accident involving a pickup truck.
"These losses are tragic, and we feel them deeply," said Capt. Dan Minor, who leads the CHP's Santa Fe Springs office, where Sanders was stationed. "The members of my squad are very distraught. They lost a brother officer this morning."
The former Marine who had fought in Fallujah, Iraq, had been with the CHP for a year. He leaves behind a pregnant wife and three boys ages 7, 3 and 10 months.
Sanders is the first CHP officer killed this year. He's the 214th CHP officer to die in the line of duty since 1929.
Flags will be flown at half-staff at the state Capitol in honor of Sanders, state officials said.
All lanes of the eastbound 60 from the 605 Freeway to Azusa Avenue were closed for at least 11 hours as officers investigated.
Sanders and his partner were working the graveyard shift when they responded to a call about a crash on the freeway involving a pickup Monday morning.
Minor said Sanders' partner was talking to the pickup driver when the second crash occurred, which resulted in Sanders' death.
"One of the vehicles due to speed and rainy conditions lost control and hit a vehicle. The second vehicle ... hit the officer laying the flare pattern," Minor said.
It hasn't been determined how fast the first car was going before it crashed into the other car.
Sanders was flown by helicopter to Los Angeles County USC Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.
The drivers of the pickup and two cars were being questioned by CHP investigators. No one has been arrested.
"Whether any criminal charges will be forthcoming will be determined by the investigation," said CHP Sgt. Mark Garrett.
Officials said Sanders was originally from Lodi and lived in Corona.
"This is our 214th officer killed in the line of duty," CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow said. "What is important is he did not die in vain. He was out here doing the job he wanted to do."
Farrow and other CHP officials held a news conference Monday afternoon within walking distance from where Sanders was struck.
Farrow cautioned motorists about driving in inclement weather.
"When weather conditions change, you have to change your behavior," Farrow said.
Minor said people on the 60 Freeway often drive too fast - especially when it's raining.
"Rain does not cause collisions. People driving too fast cause collisions," Minor said.
A fund has been established for the officer's family.
Donations can be sent to the Joe Sanders Donation Fund at CAHP Credit Union, P.O. Box 826, San Dimas, CA 91773. The credit union's phone number is (909) 599-9329.
Published on News10.net - December 15, 2008
SACRAMENTO, CA -- A California Highway Patrol offficer who grew up in Galt became the 214th officer with the agency to die in the line of duty Monday.
CHP officials said Joseph Sanders, 29, died in a crash on Interstate 60 in Hacienda Heights as he was responding to an early morning accident.
Sanders was also a Marine Corps veteran and served in Iraq. He joined the Santa Fe Springs division of the California Highway Patrol one year ago.
"Maria and I were deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Officer Joseph Sanders, who dedicated his life to ensuring public safety," said Gov. Schwarzenegger in a statement. "California is a better place because of his service and his sacrifice will not be forgotten."
The crash remains under investigation and authorities said they are not sure how fast the vehicle that struck Sanders was traveling at the time. They added that "conditions were difficult at the time" of the crash and it was dark and raining.
Schwarzenegger ordered flags at the State Capitol be flown at half-staff in Sanders' honor.
He leaves behind three children ages 10, 7, 3 and a wife who is expecting their fourth child.
In Memory of Officer Joseph Sanders
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