Antioch Police swear in four new officers including Deer Valley High grad
Two laterals, two recent academy grads; brings force to 85 sworn officers
By Allen D. Payton
The Antioch Police Department increased by four sworn officers during an oath of office ceremony in the Police Facility’s Community Room on Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024. Acting Chief Joe Vigil administered the oath to Officers Shirley Lara, Marcos Molina, Travis Donaldson and Justin Talavera,
As previously reported, Donaldson and Talavera recently graduated from the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office Regional Training Center. Lara said she is a lateral hire from BART and Molina said he transferred from the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Department.
Vigil offered the following remarks about each of the four officers:
Shirley Lara- Lateral Police Officer
Shirley was born and raised in Richmond, CA and graduated from Leadership Public High school in 2010. Years later, she graduated from the Contra Costa County Police Academy in 2021 and moved to Antioch in 2014 and is currently still living here with her two children. On her down time, she loves to garden, exercise, and explore different restaurants around the Bay Area.
Fun fact: Shirley used to be in a Regional Mexican band.
Marcos Molina- Lateral Police Officer
Marcos was born and raised in Redwood City, CA. He enlisted in the Army in 2011 and spent 6 years as a combat engineer. He graduated from College of San Mateo with a degree in Administration of Justice. He then began his career in CDCR assigned to San Quentin State Prison. He then worked at the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office and was assigned to the custody and courts division.
Fun fact: Marcos likes to spend time with his kids.
Travis Donaldson- Police Officer Trainee
Travis currently lives in Vacaville. He’s been married for 10 years but has been with his wife for 22 years. He has a 19-year-old son and a 9-year-old boxer. During his free time, he enjoys volunteering at the Performing Arts Theatre in Fairfield. Before joining Law Enforcement, he spent the last 23 years as a co- owner of a successful flooring business with his brother. Travis feels extremely honored and grateful for the opportunity to become part of APD!
Fun fact: Travis was delivered by his father at a home in Pleasant Hill.
Justin Talavera- Police Officer Trainee
Justin was born in Bronx, NY. He was raised in Antioch and attended Deer Valley High school where he played baseball. After graduating from Deer Valley, he attended San Francisco State where he received a bachelor’s in criminal justice. Prior to becoming a trainee, he worked as a barista and a server. During his free time, he enjoys working out, cooking, playing golf and trying new restaurants around the Bay Area. Justin feels blessed to work in the city he calls home for the past 20 years.
Fun fact: Justin knows a thing or two about cooking, bring him some fresh ingredients and he can cook up something tasty!
Mayor Congratulates New Officers
A Feb. 15, 2024, post on the mayor’s official Facebook page reads, “On Tuesday, Mayor Hernandez-Thorpe was proud to welcome newly appointed Antioch Police Officers Lara, Molina, Talavera, and Donaldson.
They will spend the next few months in field training under the direct supervision of a field training office (FTO). Three of them either grew up and/or live in Antioch. Two are fluent in Spanish, which is critical given Antioch’s large Spanish speaking population. Another is fluent in Tagalog (Filipino). Antioch’s AAPI community continues to grow currently at 15%. The growth is being led by Filipino Americans.
Since the passing of the mayor’s hiring incentive program, Antioch has hired 16 new officers. In addition, there are four police candidates heading to the Academy and will join the Antioch Police Department in May.
Antioch looks forward to continuing to build a police department that’s a reflection of the communities the police department serves. Congratulations to the City’s newest police officers.”
The addition of the four officers brings the total sworn on the force to 85 of 115 budgeted.
Cutline: New Antioch Police Officers Justin Talavera, Marcos Molina, Shirley Lara and Travis Donaldson were sworn in on Tues., Feb. 13, 2024. Photo by Allen D. Payton
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