Sheriff’s Station to Get New Leader

Donald A. Rodriguez, a 25-year veteran of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, was introduced Tuesday as the new captain of the Santa Clarita Valley sheriff’s station.

He will take over Jan. 4 for Capt. Michael Quinn, who came to the station in March 1994 and immediately faced the task of helping residents recover from the Northridge earthquake in January. Quinn has been promoted, but sheriff’s officials have not informed him where in the county he will work.

Since incorporating 10 years ago, the city of Santa Clarita has contracted with the county for law enforcement services, so the captain’s role is roughly equivalent to that of the Santa Clarita police chief.

At a City Hall news conference, city and sheriff’s officials described Rodriguez as an enthusiastic, responsive leader and said he has lived in Santa Clarita for 19 years. In this tightknit community, which the FBI ranked as the fourth-safest in the nation among cities with at least 100,000 residents, the new captain’s experience of living and raising children in the area carried significant weight.

“You’re part of the sheriff’s family. You’re part of our family,” City Councilman Clyde Smyth told Rodriguez. “This is a different place. It’s a thrill for us to have someone from the community.”

Said Rodriguez: “The first thing I plan on doing is getting out into the community and getting to know as many people as I can.”

Since joining the Sheriff’s Department in 1972, Rodriguez has worked in parts of Los Angeles as well as Castaic, Lynwood, Malibu and--from 1990 to 1992--Santa Clarita.