Deputy Jake Kuredjian will be honored by local patrols.
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Sunday, August 31, will mark seven years since Deputy Hagop
"Jake" Kuredjian paid the ultimate sacrifice while serving and
protecting the residents of the Santa Clarita Valley.
Jake was shot and killed in the line of duty while assisting
the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms during the service of a search
warrant on Friday, August 31, 2001,
in Stevenson Ranch. He was 40 years old.
Jake, was a 17-year veteran of the Los Angeles County
Sheriff's Department and had been assigned to the Santa Clarita Sheriff's
Station since 1995. He was an avid motorcyclist and after serving in many
other capacities at the station had been assigned as a motor officer in the
Santa Clarita Valley for six months prior to his untimely death.
In 1989, Deputy Kuredjian was awarded the Sheriff's
Department's Gold Meritorious Conduct Medal by former Sheriff Sherman Block for
saving the life of a woman clinging to a small tree branch atop a cliff in the City
of Malibu.
Jake is survived by his mother, two brothers and his
girlfriend. Sheriff’s deputies remember Kuredjian as a kind hearted,
"happy-go-lucky" man who brought a smile to the face of anyone he
came in contact with.
As a tribute to their fallen comrade, all on-duty deputies
assigned to the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station will wear long sleeve
Class “A” uniforms with a tie, and drive with their headlights on during
daylight hours on Sunday, August 31,
2008.
Sheriff’s officials are encouraging residents of the Santa
Clarita Valley to join them in this tribute by also using headlights during
daylight hours. On-duty deputies will also wear black memorial bands on
their badges, will view Jake’s memorial video, and will file past his memorial
picture prior to going into service for their shift to protect the Santa
Clarita Valley. Flowers will also be placed at Jake’s picture.
On Wednesday, October 6, 2004, Los Angeles County Supervisor
Michael D. Antonovich, Fifth Supervisorial District, joined District Attorney
Steve Cooley; Sheriff Lee Baca; Greg Williams, President of Newhall Land and
Farm; Garo and Raffi Kuredjian, Deputy Jake Kuredjian’s brothers; and Mrs.
Kuredjian, Jake’s mother in a ceremony to dedicate Jake Kuredjian Park at 26265
Pico Canyon Road, Stevenson Ranch, which was created to honor the memory of
Jake. A Newhall Street
was also named after Jake.
"On Friday,
August 31, 2001, the sunshine seemed to dim, laughter faded away
and there was a little less joy in the world because Deputy Hagop 'Jake'
Kuredjian was taken from us. A deranged man wielding a rifle took his life, in
a brief moment of time, leaving his family and an army of friends to mourn his
loss.
In the short time since his tragic death at 40 years old, I
have been overwhelmed by the stories of how much life Jake packed into the
relatively short time he was with us. If friends were counted as income, Jake
was one of the richest men in the world!
While we can't help but grieve his passing, I am determined
to remember that million dollar smile and the fact he would give the shirt off
his back to help a family member, friend or stranger.
Let us remember Jake enjoying a good prank, telling a joke
or riding down the road on his Harley. Please never forget that Jake willingly
put his life at risk to come to the aid of residents and law enforcement
personnel who were in peril.
Most of all, if you have not already done so, thank God for
sharing Jake with us, even if just for a little while."
