Sheriff to hire three new deputies
October 21, 2009
Sheriff Rene Rivera said last night that he plans to hire three new deputies, placing them in Rio Communities, El Cerro Mission and Jarales.
“The commission gave me permission to hire three more deputies,” he said to applause at a Rio Communities Association meeting.
While Rivera has been gradually increasing the size of his police force since he started as sheriff three years ago, he’s been working to secure these three new deputies, and another for Highland Meadows, since at least March, when he asked the county commission to support hiring more deputies.
He will be introducing the deputies to each community shortly after they’re hired during the next month.
“I want to make sure you all get to know this deputy on a first name basis,” he told his Rio Communities audience, saying the Rio Communities deputy will be stationed in the area by early November.
Rivera said he’s tried to focus on building up his base of deputies for years. When he began working as sheriff, the department had only 13 deputies.
“It was very hard to run from El Cerro Mission to Rio Communities,” he said.
He said the department now has 37 deputies.
“With the help of the commissioners, we’ve been able to beef up the number of deputies here,” he said.
He pointed out he still doesn’t have enough. The national standard is one deputy for every 1,000 people. With Valencia County around 100,000 residents, he should have around 100 deputies.
“Everything’s growing except the sheriff’s department,” he said, adding, “Money is tight right now, therefore we can’t do it. The new budget’s going to be coming in next year and we’re going to get with the commissioners to hire more deputies.”
Because of the lack of deputies, the department continues to stress the role the public can play in thwarting crime by reporting suspicious activity quickly and accurately.
“I get a lot of people telling me they don’t want to report it because the department’s shorthanded,” Deputy Jorge Trujillo said. “It’s so important that you call and report activities prior to it happening. You’ll have people who report it after the fact. It so sad to take a report and people’s belongings and personal items have been taken that maybe their grandparents gave them.”
He said the department won’t get upset if someone calls multiple times, which had Claudine Montano, who owns a local business and lives in Rio Communities, jumping in with an example.
“Let me tell you, they don’t get upset,” she said. “Last Christmas, I called six times because someone stole my snowman from my front yard — and six times they came out. So they don’t get upset.”
Trujillo said no one should approach people involved in suspicious activity.
“Times are too dangerous now,” he said, making a veiled mention of the Luke Sanchez case, where Sanchez followed two suspected burglars, which ended in one suspected burglar being shot and killed.
Residents observing the activity should keep their distance and be inconspicuous, he said.
“The best thing you can arm yourself with is not a pistol or a rifle, but binoculars,” Trujillo said, “That’s so important. This way you can get as much information as you can and you don’t want them to be aware you’re watching them or jotting down information.”
Trujillo said he’s responsible for giving residents the tools for neighborhood watches and is willing to help build new support for any neighborhood’s watch program.
Posted in: Police