The new year of 2018 tiptoed into Sonoma County early Monday as wisps of winter fog lifted, making way for another splendid day full of yellow sunshine, quiet after-holiday echoes and friendly waves to neighbors going about their leisure or small chores. De we live in a peaceful paradise, or what?
But we must remind ourselves not to take our sense of peace and comfort for granted. The calm and orderliness of one year turning into a new one this New Year’s Eve should not belie the vigilance of hundreds of local law enforcement officers who patrolled the night, answered calls and guarded us. Sonoma County remains a relatively low-crime community, thanks in large measure to our professionally trained, well-funded and respected peace officers.
Keeping the peace has a price. Small cities like Cloverdale, Sebastopol and Healdsburg expend almost half their municipal budgets on public safety. The county sheriff’s department employs almost 1,000 people including 275 sworn officers. We have to feel like we are getting our money’s worth, especially when we compare ourselves with other regions of the country.
Our biggest crime challenges, based on actual law enforcement statistics, are predominantly drug related, influenced by gangs and exacerbated by the lack of mental health, drug rehab and other social services.
Over the days leading up to New Year’s Eve, our local deputies and cops were kept busy with a series of chases and arrests that all could have turned very violent, violating our sense of peace and neighborhood security.
Deputies cornered a “most wanted” Napa man outside of Geyserville who had a loaded weapon and caches of methamphetamine and heroin.
Down river in Rio Nido, a suspect named Larry Don Kygar was being sought for assaulting a deputy. The same day Windsor Police arrested a man with $3,000 worth of stolen tools. In Santa Rosa, on the campus of Montgomery High School, several police officers had to wrestle two gang members to the ground after being threatened with a loaded weapon. All of these arrests involved drugs.
Maybe the rest of us enjoyed a silent night, but dozens of our first responders worked another night full of unpredictable dangers. Especially during holiday periods, the nearest backup for a patrol officer could be many miles and a half hour away.
Recently, we all took part in many celebrations of our North Bay wildfire first responders. Let’s be sure to keep thanking our “every day” first responders as well.
Ever since the killing in October 2013 of youth Andy Lopez by deputy Erick Gelhaus, Sonoma County’s collective communities have shared a heightened outlook about the role and performance of our law enforcement officers and departments.
County supervisors formed the Sonoma County Independent Office of Law Enforcement Review and Outreach (IOLERO) in response to the Lopez case. Attorney Jerry Threet was hired and issued his first annual report early last year. His report was generally supportive of the county sheriff’s department, offering positive suggestions for more community outreach and no findings of abuse or other violations.
Current Sheriff Rob Giordano has received high marks for his leadership since taking over for Sheriff Steve Freitas, who retired in August for health reasons.
County voters will elect a new sheriff this year from a field of three candidates including internal candidate Mark Essick, former Santa Rosa police officer Ernesto Olivares and veteran Los Angeles law enforcement professional John Mutz. The three men offer a clear choice in various backgrounds and philosophies towards community-based policing, drug crime and political affiliations.
Meanwhile, this newspaper’s weekly police log continues to record the daily calls, arrests and warnings that are mostly minor and non-violent but important to list by date, time and place. We don’t mind having a shortage of the more sensational or major crimes to report. We prefer quiet mornings that follow a well-protected night before.
