Honor Guard: San Bernardino County Receives Emmy Nomination

A SEBA film featuring the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department Honor Guard and its emotional tribute to fallen peace officers received an Emmy nomination for best documentary this week.

The film, “Honor Guard: San Bernardino County,” was shot and edited by Chris Lee, the Media Relations Manager for the Sheriff’s Employee Benefits Association (SEBA), which represents San Bernardino County law enforcement professionals. Lee followed the honor guard team, comprised of SEBA members, to Washington DC during the 2019 National Police Week. The team competed in the Police Week National Honor Guard Exhibition & Tribute and presented a moving routine dedicated to fallen colleague, Detective Jeremiah MacKay.

“Last year was a milestone year in honoring the loss of our friend,” said Sgt. Danny Rosa, a leader of the Honor Guard team and SEBA Vice President. “We wanted to dedicate our performance to his family. Jeremiah’s son, Cayden, was just a baby when he died. Last year, Cayden was finally old enough to travel to DC for National Police Week and see our performance, so, it really meant a lot to us.”

The Emmy Awards recognize excellence in the television industry and are presented by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. This is the third of Lee’s films to be nominated for an Emmy. His documentary “Teenage $ex 4 $ale: Human Trafficking in San Bernardino County,” received a nomination in 2014. And his film, “Peace Officer Memorial Ceremony,” received the nod in 2015. Both previous films were made when Lee worked for the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office. This is the first SEBA documentary to be nominated.

“I am fortunate to be present for dozens of Honor Guard performances throughout the year. I thoroughly appreciate the professionalism and attention to detail of our team,” said San Bernardino County Sheriff John McMahon. “Chris Lee truly captured the precision and passion of our dedicated members. It is impressive to see such skill on both sides of the camera.”

May is a month dedicated to the remembrance of those who lost their lives in the line of duty. Law enforcement professionals gather locally, statewide and nationally to pay tribute. Annually, the Sheriff’s Department Honor Guard represents San Bernardino County law enforcement at memorial ceremonies held in Sacramento and Washington DC. This year, these time-honored events were cancelled due to the COVID-19 health crisis.

“Watching this film takes us back to that week when we came together from all across the nation to honor our fallen colleagues,” said SEBA President Sgt. Grant Ward. “Chris’s ability to capture the emotion and camaraderie of the 2019 ceremonies gives us the ability to relive it this year, when we can’t be together.”