‘Feels like home,’ new Crescenta Valley Sheriff’s commander says

Capt. Bill Song, the new commander of the Crescenta Valley Sheriff’s Station, has returned to his roots.

Song grew up in the area, attending Rosemont Middle School and Crescenta Valley High School. Since then, he’s moved to Claremont and has built a 22-year career at the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. He most recently worked as an executive aide to Asst. Sheriff Cecil Rhambo. But Song said it’s good to be back in La Crescenta, and to be given the opportunity to become reacquainted with the area as an adult.

“It’s a nice homecoming,” said Song. “It feels like coming back home.”

Song started in his new post on Sunday, but he already has a list of goals. He plans to tackle the issues of home burglaries, communication with the public and overall crime in the region. The station covers La Cañada Flintridge, the unincorporated areas of Montrose and La Crescenta, and neighborhoods in unincorporated areas surrounding the Angeles National Forest.

“Keeping the crime level low is my No. 1 priority,” he said, adding that burglaries have decreased in the area since the community saw a string of incidents in February.

Song replaces Capt. Dave Silversparre, a La Crescenta resident who announced in April that he was reassigned to lead the radio room at the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Communications and Fleet Management Bureau in Los Angeles. Silversparre was captain of the station for five years.

Steve Whitmore, a spokesman for Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca, said Song was picked over other candidates because Baca “deemed him the most qualified and the best person for the job.”

“He’s worked in the executive branch for over a year,” said Whitmore. “He understands the importance of working with a community and to provide the best public safety for the community.”

Beyond tackling crime, Song also wants to make sure that the deputies and personnel at the station are happy.

“I want the morale of the deputies to be up,” he said. “I want to be supportive of the staff here, making sure that their needs are met.”

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