The Exchange Club of Corona del Mar, which has been supporting community causes in Orange County for 21-years, honored five members of the Department on Thursday.
The five received plaques and kudos from the Club’s Crime Prevention Program. The club also donated to the Department three large sacks of teddy bears. They purchased the bears with the proceeds of their recycling program. The bears are used by deputies when there is a need to comfort a child they encounter when duty takes them to a family crisis.
Sheriff Sandra Hutchens attended the Awards Presentation. Club members, who have given the awards for several years, said it was the clubs first presentation attended by the county sheriff.
“I want to thank your club for honoring our personnel,” Sheriff Hutchens told the group. “I think you know how much it means to them. As you see, they have brought family members and friends. It means so much, with all the negative press sometimes that we get, it really does my heart good that you are honoring these folks who absolutely everyday do a wonderful job. We appreciate your recognizing what they have done and I know they do. “
“I’m so happy to be Sheriff of Orange County,” she added. “I’m here to serve you. My message to you is simple; this is your sheriff’s department. We’re going to take our direction from you. I’m going to work with these great men and women of this Department and we’re going to make it even better. “
The first presentation was to Deputy Holly Fisher of Harbor Patrol.
Harbor Patrol’s Captain Deana Bergquist said Deputy Fisher was well deserving of the award. She has been with the Department nearly 19 years and has worked in Harbor for 5 years, serving in all three stations. She is licensed by the Coast Guard to captain a vessel of 100 tons. The license is recognition of her boat handling and navigation competence. It entitles her to wear a pin on her uniform noting the Coast Guard license. Only 16 members of the Department hold the Coast Guard license.
Captain Bergquist noted that the weather on Thursday was near perfect but when winter comes, the day sky often darkens with storm clouds, gale force winds and waves that break over the jetties and inside the harbor. When weather conditions turn ugly, some mariners, Captain Bergquist said kindly, “exceed their skill level.”
“Holly has been involved in a number of dangerous situations,” Captain Bergquist said. She told a story that occurred in January.
“There was a huge storm, heavy rainfall, gale force winds, and 16 foot waves. About 0338 hours, we received a distress call. A 25-foot Catalina sailboat was anchored off of Corona del Mar. The boat had been pummeled in heavy sea and the occupant was in fear for his safety. Deputies Fisher and Jay (JC) Roberts responded. Waves were breaking inside the harbor, that’s a huge wave for us, visibility was bad. The water was filled with floating lobster traps and debris in water. The fireboat (piloted by Deputy Fisher) has waves coming in from all directions. The Catalina sailboat was anchored only by the bow line. It was extremely difficult to get a fireboat near it. Holly was able to pull fireboat close enough for Deputy Roberts to grab the stanchion. In spite of the violently heaving decks, Roberts was able to pull the man on to the fireboat .
“This is not something they take lightly. It shows they go out every day and put themselves in harm’s way.”
Award winner Deputy Luis De Anda was introduced by Lt. Thomas Gallivan, of North Ops.
Deputy De Anda is a 14-year veteran of the department.
“For stress relief he volunteers as an agitator for K-9 training,” Lt. Gallivan joshed.
On a more serious note, Lt. Gallivan said Deputy De Anda, “Is not content to handle calls for service. He is proactive. Luis is out patrolling his area and looking to take bad guys to jail. He is consistently at the top of the list for numbers of observation felony arrests. He’s out there making observations.
“North patrol sergeants tell me that when they see Deputy De Anda on duty, they know they have nothing to worry about. He’s a leader and a mentor for younger deputies.
“He was commended by social worker and the sex crimes detail, for professionalism and demeanor when investigating a crime against a child. On a homicide investigation, Sgt. Yvonne Shull praised his handling of homicide investigations. She said, ‘when my team arrives at the scene I feel very comfortable knowing Luis has handled the initial investigation.’”
Lt. Gallivan added that, “On a murder-suicide, he did an excellent job at controlling the chaotic and emotionally charged crime scene, directing deputies and calling for appropriate resources.”
In summary, Lt. Gallivan said, “Luis De Anda exemplifies what all patrol deputies aspire to be. He excels at all aspects of patrol and has earned the respect of his peers and supervisors with his work ethic, knowledge and ability. “
The Jail Operations Deputy of the Year Award went to Deputy Thomas Taylor, of the James Musick Facility.
The introduction was by Lt. Mike Jansen.
“Deputy Tom Taylor began his career as an Orange County Marshall in August 1990. He worked as bailiff in court system until the merger with the Sheriff’s Department in July 2000. In October 2000 he asked for a transfer to Musick. He immediately established himself as a hard working and reliable and trustworthy employee. In 2005 he volunteered for ancillary duty as Fire, Life and Safety Deputy.
“Fire, Life and Safety Deputy is not an easy job,” Lt. Jansen said.
“He inspects 206 fire extinguishers, and 10 fire hydrants,” Lt. Jansen said. It’s an important job, if there is ever a fire at the facility those hydrants are all that will be available to protect the property and the lives of staff and inmates.
He said that Deputy Taylor does what it takes two deputies to do at other facilities but he never complains.
“He can be counted on to keep the facility in compliance with federal, state and local laws regarding fire and safety equipment. Tom never rests and stays in constant motion.”
“His dedication and attention to detail is well above standard. He is a joy to supervise.”
The latest outside commendation for Deputy Taylor came in on Wednesday, from a county safety inspector.
“He applauded Tom’s work over the past year,” Lt. Jansen said.
Deputy Taylor said that although he was receiving the award, others supported his efforts and deserved as much credit as he.
Supervisor of the Year was Sergeant Jim England, commander of the Sex Crimes Unit.
The introduction was by Captain Tim Board, head of Investigations.
“It’s my absolute honor to honor the Supervisor of the Year,” Capt. Board said.
“Sgt Jim England was selected in March last year as the Sex Crimes Sergeant. He came highly recommended, he has a strong work ethic. The first day on his assignment he formed the team and planned the investigation of a case that, because of thorough investigation, the district attorney filed numerous charges against the suspect.
“Sex c rimes draw media attention and it’s important to have a supervisor who understands the pressure and demands placed on the department and the importance of media releases. His performance is exemplary. He maintains an excellent relationship with the city police chiefs. “
He also is tops at budget duties, preparing employee evaluations, researching new technology and playing a key role in the Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement Team.
“He’s easy to work with,” Capt. Board said.
The Professional Staff of the Year Award went to William McDonald, Facilities Operations Manager for the Department’s Research and Development Division.
Research and Development Director Robert Beaver said Bill McDonald was selected from among the 2,000 Professional Staff members working throughout the Department.
Bill McDonald has been with the county for 22 years, with the Sheriff’s Department for 11 years and with Research and Development for 3 ½ years.
“He is responsible for facility maintenance, regulatory compliance, contract management and training,” Director Beaver said.
“He has vision, tenacity and ability to overcome adversity to change. He succeeded in adopting a world class maintenance operation built on best practices, data planning, and performance methods. All of these efforts combine to reduce failure, insure facility compliance, reduce unmanaged costs and improve our service to our internal customers. Developing staff in form by training, education and organization development is a measure of professionalism that directly and indirectly influences performance. Bill is a champion of maintenance excellence. He has developed a highly qualified staff of managers and supervisors who cooperate proactively and reactively to coordinate and respond to situations in all Sheriff’s facilities,” Director Beaver said.