On the evening of February 6, 2007, LAPD dispatchers received a 911 from a male reporting that he had killed several people inside the home in the San Fernando Valley. LAPD SWAT team entered the residence and exchanged gunfire. Officer Randy Simmons, a 27-year veteran of the LAPD, was wounded and later passed away at Northridge Medical Center. His partner, 51-year old Jim Veenstra was injured and survived after a successful surgery. Police fired tear gas canisters into the home and a fire broke out. It was the first fatality in the history of the LAPD SWAT team, which was created in 1967. Officer Simmons is survived by his wife and two children, a son and a daughter, his parents and three sisters.

United States Border Patrol agents had observed two vehicles entering the United States from Mexico about 20 miles west of Yuma, AZ. Agents followed the vehicles on Interstate 8 when the drivers of the vehicles saw they were being followed. The vehicles turned around and headed back in the direction they came from. Senior Patrol Agent Luis Aguilar was trying to deploy spike strips near the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area when he was intentionally struck and killed by one of the vehicles. Both vehicles fled into Mexico and the suspects are still at large. Senior Border Patrol Agent Luis Aguilar was 34-years old and survived by his wife and two children. Agent Aguilar was from El Paso, TX and lived in Yuma, AZ with his family.

San Diego Police Department K-9, Stryker, was patrolling with his partner, Officer Kedrick Sadler, when they witnessed a traffic accident. The driver headed south on Interstate 5 with Carlsbad police and California Highway Patrol officers joining the pursuit. The suspect exited Interstate 5 and got out of his vehicle on the San Diego-Coronado Bridge. Stryker was released; he bit the suspect and pulled him to the ground. The suspect stood up, grabbed Stryker and jumped over the concrete barrier into San Diego Bay. It was not clear whether Stryker had let go of the suspect or not. Stryker was a 75 pound Belgian Malinois and Officer Sadler was his trainer for the previous six-months. The drunken-driving suspect, 27-year old Cory Byron survived the 200-foot drop and was arrested on suspicion of causing the death of a police dog, evading arrest and driving under the influence of alcohol.

Detective Vu Nguyen, of the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department, and his partner, were on a routine visit to a known gang house in South Sacramento on the afternoon of December 19. A male standing in front of the house took off as the officers approached. The officers took chase and Detective Nguyen followed the suspect over a fence, his partner heard gunshots and found Detective Nguyen with a gunshot to the neck. He was life-flighted to UCD Medical Center where after surgery, he succumbed to his injuries. A manhunt involving more than 100 police, sheriff's detectives and federal agents lasted through the night and the next day a 16-year old boy was arrested at a family member's home. Detective Nguyen was a ten-year veteran and had been in the gang unit for three years. He is survived by his wife.

At approximately 1:40 PM, Detective Kent Haws was investigating a report of suspicious activity. Detective Haws was driving southbound on Road 156 when he saw a vehicle parked next to an orange grove. The officer made a U-turn and investigated the vehicle. While talking to the occupants, he saw a man in the orchard; he sent the vehicle on its way and informed the Sheriff's Dispatcher he was investigating a man in the orchard. The man in the orchard fired upon Detective Haws, striking him. Detective Haws died that afternoon at Kaweah Delta Hospital in Visalia. A suspect was taken into custody later in the day and charged with murder. He was still in possession of the murder weapon when he was apprehended. Detective Kent Haws was a ten-year veteran of the Tulare Sheriff's Department and survived by his wife, three young children, mother, brother, sister, and stepfather.

On November 27, 2007, Firefighter Captain Ed Kelly of the Ross Valley Fire Department passed away from occupational cancer. Captain Kelly was a fire fighter for almost 40-years and is survived by his wife and daughter. He was also Treasurer for Marin Professional Firefighters Local 1775.

On the evening of November 16, thirty two-year old California Highway Patrol Officer John Miller was on North Livermore Avenue north of Interstate Highway 580, assisting other officers searching for an "extremely intoxicated" driver. Officer Miller was alone in his patrol vehicle. He lost control of his radio car while approaching a sharp curve and crashed into a tree suffering fatal injuries. The suspected impaired driver was arrested shortly after the fatal collision. Officer Miller only graduated from the CHP academy in March, 2007, and is survived by his wife Stephanie, a four-year old son, and a two-year old daughter.

On the morning of October 18, members of the SWAT Teams from the Rialto and Colton Police Departments, along with agents from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, simultaneously raided four homes on West Cascade Drive in Rialto, CA, serving search warrants for illegal drugs. Officers struggled with a resident of one of the targeted homes when 29 year-old Rialto Police Officer Sergio Carrera Jr. was shot in the chest. Officer Carrera was airlifted to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton, where he later died. Jaranard Thomas was arrested on suspicion of murder of a police officer. Officer Carrera was a four-year veteran of the Rialto Police Department and a member of the SWAT Team. He is the second Rialto officer to die in the line of duty. Officer Carrera is survived by wife and two children, a two-year old boy and a year-old daughter.

Heavy Fire Equipment Operator Matt Will passed away as a result of injuries sustained in a rollover accident involving his fire dozer while fighting a 50-acre fire in Monterey County. The accident is still under investigation. Will was 30-years old and a heavy fire equipment operator with CDF since May, 1993. He is survived by his wife, Diana, 10-year-old son Trysten, and eight-year-old daughter Elise.

Ventura County Firefighter Steven A. Gregory died at home on August 26, 2007, due to occupational Cancer. Firefighter Gregory started his career with the Ventura County Fire Department in 1998 after serving as a firefighter with the State of California, stationed at Camarillo State Hospital where he worked for 26-years, the last seven as a firefighter. He was 46-years old and survived by his daughters Ande and Stevie Rae, their mother Robin; his parents, Thelma and Albert Gregory; his sisters Barbara Price and Tresa Gregory.