New Sheriff’s Academy Is for Community

An old wooden sign hanging over the front desk of the Santa Clarita Sheriff’s Station reads, “Los Angeles County Sheriff: Serving the Santa Clarita Valley for over 100 years.”

That rich history stretching from train robberies to drive-by shootings has not prevented many residents from complaining about the Sheriff’s Department, which the new city hired 10 years ago as its local police force.

In an effort to improve the department’s public image, sheriff’s officials have launched a Community Academy, a series of nine weekly classes given four times a year to provide insight into the workings of the department. The next session is planned for February.

“We want people to get an idea of what we’re all about,” said Lt. Carl Deeley, who leads the academy. “There’s nothing we’re hiding. It’s their department. Their taxes are paying for it.”

Rather than emphasizing the glamorous aspects of law enforcement as seen on television and in movies, the three-hour classes leave no paperwork unaccounted for, no minutiae unexplained.

“It’s not just driving around pursuing people,” Deeley said. “There’s a lot of boring stuff too.”

Topics covered include equipment, report writing, traffic enforcement, specialized units (such as SWAT), detectives and narcotics. A ride-along with a patrol deputy is standard.

Graduates receive certificates at a ceremony attended by top department officials. The certificates give no special advantage to anyone pursuing a career in law enforcement.

The academy, which began in Whittier in March and has since spread to several other stations, has particular resonance in Santa Clarita.

In September, the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California released a report on complaints about the county’s 17 sheriff’s stations, classing Santa Clarita among nine stations of “particular concern.”

“The most common issue over which complaints are filed is discourtesy,” the report noted. “What most upset civilians about the LASD is simple rudeness, insensitivity and failure to give civilians with whom the deputies have contact the simple courtesy of being treated respectfully.”

In the months since the report’s release, many residents have spoken at public meetings and written letters to local newspapers supporting the ACLU’s findings with personal anecdotes. Nearly as many responded to defend the 160 locally based deputies.

In fact, many citizens academy graduates entered as law enforcement backers, conceded Deeley. But he also noted that attendees have ranged from skeptics to boosters, from teenagers to octogenarians.

Regardless of their perspective, all graduates interviewed said they appreciated the access.

“I have always had respect for law enforcement and now I also realize the truths that go along with the job, which as a civilian we many times take for granted,” said Dolores Salazar, who graduated in November.

Feeback from other attendees had a similarly encouraging tone, and Deeley said the academy has a waiting list of 30 people.

A new version of the academy is for teenagers, many of them credit-earning students in the William S. Hart Union High School District.

Aside from getting their own message out to an attentive group, Deeley said academy organizers enjoy getting the feedback that is critical for improved relations between residents and deputies.

“We’re getting 52 opinions a week,” the lieutenant said.