Service to honor San Jose community service officer killed in the line of duty

A public memorial service Friday will honor San Jose Police Department community service officer Long Tham Pham, who was struck and killed by a suspected drunk driver earlier this month.

The service for Pham, 34, takes place at SAP Center in San Jose starting at 11 a.m., according to SJPD. The department is planning processions to and from the venue.

On Aug. 3, Pham and another community service officer were conducting traffic control on Monterey Road in South San Jose when a driver hit both of them, killing Pham and injuring the other CSO, identified as Veronica Baer.

Members of the community came together to hold a vigil on Thursday for a San Jose community service officer who was hit and killed by a suspected drunk driver earlier in the month. 

Pham died at the scene, and Baer was taken to a hospital, where she remained for days in critical but stable condition.

Police arrested 44-year-old Juan Palacios of Morgan Hill on suspicion of felony vehicular manslaughter. Palacios has previous DUI charges on his record, police said.

Pham, who became a community service officer in October 2022, is the first CSO in the department’s history to be killed in the line of duty, SJPD said.