Al Jalaty, Ventura County Sheriff for 10 Years, Dies at 73 : Law enforcement: The Port Hueneme resident had had a long bout with heart disease and emphysema. He stepped down in 1984 because of poor health.

Former Ventura County Sheriff Al Jalaty, a popular lawman who led the department for 10 years, died Sunday after a long bout with heart disease and emphysema.

The former sheriff, who stepped down in 1984 because of poor health, was 73. He died shortly after 11 a.m. at his Port Hueneme home, officials said.

“He was a wonderful man in every respect,” Assistant Sheriff Richard Bryce said. “I don’t believe I have ever met a law enforcement officer who was as well liked and widely known as Al Jalaty. He was the kind of guy that every time someone had a birthday or a barbecue or a wedding, Al was there.”

Funeral services for Jalaty had not yet been set Sunday. But Reardon Mortuary in Oxnard was expected to handle the arrangements. Jalaty is survived by his wife, Emma; two daughters, two sons and nine grandchildren.

“We will miss him,” said Lt. Mike Gullon, who had known Jalaty for 32 years. “We used to call him a cop’s cop.”

Jalaty joined the Sheriff’s Department in 1949 and quickly worked his way through the ranks. In the late 1960s, Jalaty stepped down as one of the department’s lieutenants to become police chief in Port Hueneme.

In 1974, he ran for sheriff and won, defeating Undersheriff Bert Seymour in a difficult race.

“He liked people and he was very compassionate, but at the same time he was a dedicated cop,” Bryce said.

Shortly after Jalaty took office, he hired then-Ojai Police Chief John Gillespie as his undersheriff. Gillespie took over as sheriff when Jalaty stepped down.

The early years of Jalaty’s administration were rough.

The County Jail, which had been brought secondhand from Texas and reassembled behind the Ventura City Hall, was a constant source of complaints from officers and inmates. And the previous administration of Sheriff Bill Hill had left the department with a $1-million deficit.

Jalaty straightened out the financial problems and helped see to it that a new jail was built.

He modernized the department and started the Community-Oriented Police Enforcement program. COPE put sheriff’s deputies in field offices in towns around the county, enabling the department to book suspects at several locations, not just the County Jail in Ventura. It also gave deputies a chance to be in closer contact with the communities they served.

“He decentralized the department with area stations,” Bryce said. “Whenever possible, he tried to assign officers that lived in that jurisdiction (so) the community could relate to them.”

Former Oxnard Police Chief Robert Owens said he looked to Jalaty for guidance.

“We worked together for a whole lot of years,” Owens said. “He was a fine gentleman. He insisted on the highest standards. I owe him an awful lot.”

Even after Jalaty retired, he stayed involved in local activities, County Supervisor John K. Flynn said.

“He went to almost every community function from small funerals to Eagle Scout presentations,” Flynn said. “He always stayed in touch with the community.

“I feel very sorry about the loss.”