SDCLEF » Archives
Spring 2006
President's 2008 MessageDear Members,
It is truly an honor to have been elected President of the Foundation for
2008. The job of filling Gary Stephens shoes will be no easy task. Under his
guidance and leadership as our President, we were able to increase both the
number of scholarships we are able to provide law enforcement officers and
the amount of money we are able to award under our equipment grant program.
Additionally, in 2007 we held several special events such as guided tours of
the medical examiner's office and the joint law enforcement training
academy. These events reinvigorated many members, and brought in new members
committed to supporting law enforcement. I hope you will all join me in
thanking Gary for doing such a wonderful job as our President over the past
several years.
2008 should build on the great year the Foundation had in 2007. We'll have
more special events for those of you interested in getting an insider's look
at law enforcement operations. For example, Bob Davenport and Mary Walsh
have arranged for our members to take a guided tour of the central downtown
jail on April 10, 2008, complete with dinner in the officer's mess. I hope
that many of you will have a chance to join us in this and the other special
events we'll have throughout the year.
In addition to special events, our Fall Auction and Dinner Event will be
held November 8, 2008 at the Four Points Sheraton. For those of you who
attended last year, you know what a great night we had at last year's event.
By popular demand, we are bringing Rockola back for an encore performance.
The Fall Event is our primary fundraiser, and we can always use help
identifying auction donor, table sponsors and volunteers. If any of you are
able to help, I encourage you to contact a Board member and help us make the
2008 Event another success story.
In conclusion, I look forward to continuing my support of law enforcement
through my new position as the Foundation's President. I hope that we can
all build on the successes the Foundation accomplished through the
exceptional work of past-presidents Gary Stephens and Cal Turley with the
help of our accomplished and dedicated group of Directors. Thank you all for
your generous support of the Foundation.
Best regards,
Jack Leer
President
San Diego County Law Enforcement Foundation.
National City Police Department Receives
$2,500 Grant To Buy Body Armor - July 2007
When body armor fails, police officers die. This is why the
National City Police Department (NCPD) sought assistance to
purchase body armor for its Special Weapons And Tactics (SWAT)
team. The NCPD was in desperate need of new vests.The Police
Department has issued body armor to its officers for several years,
however, the ones that were in use were old and very worn. This
left our police officers in a precarious position and very vulnerable
to injury. This prompted the NCPD to pursue grant funding to purchase the vests.
The San Diego County Law Enforcement Foundation
(SDCLEF) has once again lived up to another one of the its main
objectives: "Assisting the various local law enforcement agencies in
the county to purchase safety equipment
to protect the line officers and protect the
public". The NCPD was awarded
$2,500 in grant funds to help purchase
six new vests that are designed to
provide greater protection against more
powerful weapons. An additional
$3,884.71 from State Homeland Security
Grants Funds were used to complete the
$6,384.71 purchase.
SDCLEF has funded many different programs and
underwritten the cost of new equipment for San Diego County
Sheriff's and Police Departments to assist law enforcement officers
to perform their jobs safely and efficiently. The NCPD is grateful to
the SDCLEF for awarding and providing life saving equipment.
With the new vests our police officers will be better able to
concentrate on the duties at hand as well as protecting the public.
The SDCLEF is a non-profit corporation, composed of men
and women who are dedicated to providing financial support for
continuing education and advanced training programs for peace
officers; for special equipment not readily obtainable through
normal department budgets; for the survivors of law enforcement
professionals killed in the line of duty through its Family
Assistance Fund; and for other needed programs as the foundation
deems worthy. For more information about the San Diego County
Law Enforcement Foundation or to make a donation, please call
(619) 482-9544.
C.A.R.E. NEWS
Congratulations!
The San Diego County Law Enforcement Foundation would like to congratulate Officer Casey W. Rose of the Chula Vista Police Department for being selected the "Academic Achiever" of the 67th Regional Academy graduating class. Board Member Cal Turley and CVPD Chief Richard Emerson presented Officer Rose with the Academic Achievement Award and a special SDCLEF Streamline flashlight.
Sheriff's Message for the Law Enforcement Foundation – July 2006
With the Primary Election behind us, we can return our focus on the department and what's in store in the future. Each year as we prepare our annual report, which by the way, has just been released, I reflect on the many accomplishments we have been able to achieve during the previous year. I am always amazed when I see what we have accomplished collectively and part of it has been with the help of support organizations like the San Diego County Law Enforcement Foundation.
Since this was an election year, I looked at our list of accomplishments for the last 11 1/2 years, and it was quite significant. We have virtually made a difference and improvements in all major areas, including facilities, services, equipment, vehicles and even salaries. I thought I would share a snapshot of those accomplishments with you.
When I started my tenure as Sheriff in 1995, we had a staff of 2,800 and a budget of $165 million. Today our budget is $524 million and we have 4,000 employees so you can see that we have really grown. Of course, part of that growth includes the merger of the Marshal's Department with the Sheriff's Department in 2000.
In Law Enforcement Services, we added staff and enhanced the Crime Lab that now has the capability of DNA analysis. The updated technology and innovative leadership at the Lab has earned national accreditation. We established the East County Gang/Narcotics Unit, constructed the San Marcos Station and Valley Center Substation, refurbished the Ramona Substation, added a trailer in Dulzura, relocated and remodeled the Emergency Services Division at ASTREA to name a few. We've also added two medium-lift rescue and fire-fighting helicopters.
In Detention Services, we made several facility improvements to a number of our jails, including security enhancements at George Bailey and Vista Detention Facilities, re-paved the access road in Descanso, refurbished housing units at the Las Colinas Detention Facility and Descanso.
In Human Resources, thanks to the HDSA we have enhanced the "A" Range and increased classrooms at Miramar. With the assistance of the FBI and District Attorney's Office, we built the Regional Firearms Training Center in Otay. In Court Services we implemented a screening and security system, added more prisoner transportations buses and enhanced our technology.
In Management Services we have made significant progress in the area of "IT." We upgraded our Internet/Intranet, mobile data computers, short range network, Civil law enforcement system, JIMS (Jail Information Management System), eSUN, SDLaw and so much more.
So what's in store for the coming year? The Bureaus are working on their strategic plans and we have set several goals this coming year. Recruiting is of paramount importance to us. We need to fill vacancies in all areas of the department. We have been more aggressive in our recruiting and have included more frequent testing. Pay bonuses and incentives are now offered, so we hope to reach our hiring goals soon.
The best recruiters remain our own employees and HDSA members, so keep referring potential candidates to us. In the rural areas we hope to add more deputies to improve our response times.
We want to ensure that salaries for all employees are competitive. The County has agreed to a 3-year contract with SEIU and other unions that represent some of our professional support staff, and we hope that the DSA will be able to negotiate a contract that will be competitive as well this year.
Some of the capital improvement projects on the horizon include the Las Colinas Detention Facility. We are completing an air station in Fallbrook where one of our medium-lift helicopters will be housed. We are enhancing our security at all our stations and expanding our facilities in Imperial Beach and Encinitas, as well as improving our bomb/arson range.
As you can see, these are exciting times and I'm so pleased with the direction the department is going. Please enjoy your summer and thank you all for your grants and support and all that you do to improve the quality of life for the citizens and members of the Sheriff's Department.
Bill Kolender, Sheriff
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