The inspiration behind establishing the RPOA Hometown Heroes Honor Run is Officer Andrew Tachias. Andrew and his partner were attacked in early 2013, the injuries he sustained will require long term care and he is still in the early stages of his recovery. While he has a long way to go, he will continue to fight to improve and get healthy. We as a community owe it to Officer Tachias and others like him to honor them and care for them in their time of need, especially when the situation they find themselves came during the course of serving their community.
Officer Andrew Tachias was raised in West Covina, CA and attended Covina High School. While attending Covina he excelled in both Track and Cross County. He was able to set himself apart from other runners while running in the CIF-Southern Section which historically produces some of the best athletes in the nation. During his senior year Andrew was the Southern Section Champion in the two mile and later placed third at the state meet. He received numerous scholarships to continue his running career and decided to accept an offer to run at The University of California at Riverside. While running at UCR he continued to improve and lead his team both on an off the track. While competing at UCR he was recognized by coaches and teammates alike as a leader and a true example of what it means to be a teammate.
Andrew graduated from UCR in 2009 and having come from a law enforcement family he decided to pursue a career in law enforcement. Andrew was hired by the Inglewood Police Department in 2009 and attended the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Academy. While working for Inglewood Andrew worked patrol on various shifts but the calling to return to Riverside was strong. He had grown to love the city while attending UCR and he knew at some point he wanted to return as an officer. In December 2012 Andrew completed his journey back to Riverside and was sworn-in with the Riverside Police Department. Andrew’s first phase was being assigned to the graveyard shift with experienced Field Training Officer Michael Crain. Andrew’s experience with Mike was positive and he felt honored to have been his partner during their time together. Although his time with Riverside has been short, Andrew has said he feels honored to be a part of the Riverside community. He has been touched by the outpouring of support by his colleagues and members of the community. Andrew will continue his recovery with the ultimate goal of one day returning to his career in law enforcement.
We as a community should feel honored and grateful to still have Andrew with us. The support he had received has not gone unnoticed by him.