Watch: Memorial service held for fallen Riverside County Deputy Isaiah Cordero
The Riverside County Sheriff's Department held a memorial service for fallen Deputy Isaiah Cordero on Friday.
Cordero's mother, Rebecca Cordero, delivered an emotional message of remembrance, saying, "I'm so sorry, son."
"You never wanted the spotlight, angel baby,'' she said tearfully. "Your tributes are well deserved. They respect your service and sacrifice. Your life was one of selfless service. You knew what it took to earn that badge. You fought the good fight, my boy."
"Isaiah was the best of us," said his partner.
Cordero's Captain, Michael Koehler, spoke of his "service above self."
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco spoke of Deputy Cordero's service. He has previously said that Corder was like a "little brother" to many deputies in the department.
Cordero's funeral was held at 11 a.m. at Harvest Christian Fellowship Church in Riverside. Several representatives from local police agencies were in attendance to show their support.
The agency announced that interment services will be private – not open to the public.
Cordero, 32, was shot and killed during a traffic stop in Jurupa Valley on Thursday.
The Riverside County Deputy Sheriff Relief Foundation started a "Help A Hero" page, on which people can make donations to the Cordero family.
Donations can be made at: https://helpahero.com/campaign/deputy-isaiah-cordero
Fallen deputy served in Coachella Valley
Cordero joined the department as a correctional deputy in May 2014. During his time as a Correctional Deputy, he worked assignments at the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility and the Indio Jail.
In February 2018, he was promoted to Deputy Sheriff. As a Deputy, he worked at the Robert Presley Detention Center and the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility before transferring to his current assignment at the Jurupa Valley Station.
Deputy Cordero completed Motor School in September of 2022 and was working in traffic enforcement as a motor deputy at the time of his death.
"His goal from the day he was hired was to become a motor deputy," Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco said in a news conference Thursday.
Bianco said deputies considered Cordero a "little brother."
"He was naturally drawn to law enforcement and certainly embodied our motto of 'Service Above Self,'" Sheriff Chad Bianco said in a news conference Thursday night. "He was a jokester around the station and all of our deputies considered him their little brother."
Cordero is survived by his girlfriend, older stepbrother, and his parents.
The Riverside County Sheriff's Department paid tribute to fallen deputy Isaiah Cordero during the 2023 Rose Parade.
Riverside County Sheriff's Dept led by a riderless horse at the 2023 Rose Bowl
Support from Coachella Valley
Local police leaders shared their reaction to the death of Cordero with News Channel 3.
“We feel devastated for them. And certainly when a colleague goes down, it affects everybody," said Palm Springs Police Chief Andy Mills.
“We feel your pain. We are with you. We support you. And we'll do anything that we can do to work with you to make sure that you know they have the opportunity to say goodbye to their colleague," said Chief Mills.
Death was 'absolutely preventable'
The suspect in the shooting, William Shea McKay, was a felon with an extensive criminal history going back more than 20 years.
Local officers also shared disappointment after Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco revealed on Thursday that the tragedy could've been prevented if McKay had been convicted on his third strike, a kidnapping arrest in Nov. 2021. If sentenced, he would've received 25 years to life, but instead, a judge reduced his bail twice, allowing him to be free.
Chief Mills says violent and dangerous people need to serve time for their offenses. Mills also referenced the more than 1,000 case dismissals by Riverside County courts due to a massive backlog during the pandemic. He says it leaves room for more violence in the community.
“We are arresting the same parolees in the same PCRS guys, the people who got of prison early, over and over and over in the courts are failing to hold people accountable.”
The San Bernardino County District Attorney's office revealed in a statement that despite its office's request to set his bail at No Bail, the judge reduced it to $500,000 and his sentencing was continued. McKay posted bail in March and was granted a second continuance in July. He failed to appear in court in October.
“Some of these are violent cases where women were choked and, and had restraining orders in place. If that's the kind of, you know, community that we're going to live in, we're going to experience enormous problems and a lack of public safety.”
Statement from Cathedral City Police Chief George Crum:
"The murder of Riverside Sheriff’s Deputy Isaiah Cordero on December 29, 2022 is another example of a flawed criminal justice system in California. The deputies death is yet another example of our communities being victimized by individuals with extensive criminal records who should be serving time for their crimes in prison. Instead of the criminal justice system protecting victims of violent crimes, a third strike criminal was allowed to be free and murder Deputy Cordero in cold blood. Law Enforcement works tirelessly to solve heinous crimes and remove violent predators from our communities in order to prevent further violent crimes and future victims. The sad result is another violent felon with three strikes in California was released, instead of being sentenced to prison and locked up. The death of Deputy Cordero was absolutely preventable!"
Cathedral City Police Chief George Crum
Bianco's pledge
Sheriff Bianco plans to "be a squeaky wheel" for people who have the power to put criminals away to actually do so.
“I will make it a priority to make sure everyone knows the current direction our legislators and our judges are going," Sheriff Bianco told News Channel 3 ahead of his inauguration for a second term earlier this week. "And not all of them, but the majority. I will be a very loud voice for Deputy Cordero so he does not die in vain”
Aside from that, another goal the sheriff has in the works is to increase the capacity of inmates held at the John J. Benoit Detention Center in Indio.
