VOLUME I // FEBRUARY 2024--------------------------------------------------------COUNTY OF LOS SANTOS
MESSAGE FROM THE SHERIFF
Over the past month, the Los Santos County Sheriff's Department has been hard at work addressing the various challenges that arise in maintaining the safety and security of our community. Following Sheriff Davalos' departure, I was tasked with some extremely difficult, albeit vital, things; rebuilding the Department from the ground up, weeding out the rampant corruption that was present throughout many previous offices and restoring the public's trust in our Department. I pledge to you all to make my promises a reality and bolster accountability for everyone in the Los Santos County Sheriff's Department.
I'm very happy to say that thanks to the collaborative efforts of our many divisions, units and bureaus as well as through the support of community residents, we've seen many positive strides in reducing crime rates across the county. Notably, there has been a 7% and 9% decrease in homicides in Palomino Creek and Dillimore respectively - and the numbers continue to drop at a staggering rate. However, our work is ongoing. Your assistance is vital to us and it's what strengthens our deputies on their day-to-day duties.
One of my primary objectives is to foster transparency within our operations. I'm of the opinion that transparency is not only essential for building trust between law enforcement and the community that it serves but also for ensuring accountability and promoting effective communication between us and the public. To this end, we will be providing the community with a constant stream of information regarding arrests, investigations, shootings and other matters that concern the citizens of Los Santos County. Furthermore, we will regularly be engaging with the community through a series of public events that will be announced in the near future and which I am very excited about.
Thank you for your continued support and cooperation as we strive to create a safer community for all residents. Together, we can overcome any challenges that we are faced with and build a brighter future for our children.
(( I would also like to say a huge thank you to both members of the faction and the wider community for your continued support throughout LSSD's existence. We highly encourage you guys to share your concerns, questions and suggestions with us - being tone-deaf was not, is not, and never will be on our agenda. We look forward to hearing from everyone on how we can continue to improve. ))
Thank you,
SHERIFF
A Tradition of Service Since 1850
FROM SIB
The Sheriff’s Information Bureau (SIB) provides numerous services to Department personnel, the general public, and members of the media. Aside from maintaining Departmental Operational logs and disseminating event information, the Bureau provides 24-hour liaison between the media and the communities we serve. In the month of February, SIB released the following articles and/or press releases:
• 13/FEB - DEPUTY UOF INVESTIGATION
• 14/FEB - LS COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPUTIES HELP SAVE SUICIDAL SUSPECT
• 16/FEB - DiS INVESTIGATION
• 27/FEB - ROBERT BENAVIDES PROMOTED TO UNDERSHERIFF
The Los Santos County Sheriff's Department also maintains a Twitter account, where people may keep up to date with the latest news and events surrounding the Department as well as the communities which we serve.
A Tradition of Service Since 1850
PROMOTIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS
Promotions and assignments strengthen various areas of the Department and are vital for adequate staffing in much needed positions. All promotions and assignments of Department staff that occured within the month of February are made publicly available below:
PROMOTIONS
ASSISTANT SHERIFF ROBERT BENAVIDES, promoted to UNDERSHERIFF, assigned to OFFICE OF THE UNDERSHERIFF
LIEUTENANT ROBERT BERGLUND, promoted to CAPTAIN, assigned to TRAINING BUREAU (UNIT COMMANDER)
ASSIGNMENTS
DIVISION CHIEF GREGORY ACEVEDO, assigned to DETECTIVE DIVISION (CHIEF)
SERGEANT RYAN BOSKO, assigned to FORT CARSON STATION (WATCH SERGEANT)
DEPUTY SHERIFF (BONUS I) EMILY NORWOOD, assigned to FIELD TRAINING PROGRAM (FIELD TRAINING OFFICER)
DEPUTY SHERIFF (BONUS I) THOMAS CASEY, assigned to FIELD TRAINING PROGRAM (FIELD TRAINING OFFICER)
DEPUTY SHERIFF (BONUS I) NATHAN SPEIRS, assigned to FIELD TRAINING PROGRAM (FIELD TRAINING OFFICER)
DEPUTY SHERIFF (BONUS I) MITCH LANCETT, assigned to FIELD TRAINING PROGRAM (FIELD TRAINING OFFICER)
DEPUTY SHERIFF (BONUS I) JAVIER GONZALEZ, assigned to FIELD TRAINING PROGRAM (FIELD TRAINING OFFICER)
DEPUTY SHERIFF (BONUS I) FRANK JACKSON, assigned to PRE-EMPLOYMENT UNIT (BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION DEPUTY)
DEPUTY SHERIFF (BONUS I) GABRIEL RODRIGUEZ, assigned to PRE-EMPLOYMENT UNIT (BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION DEPUTY)
DEPUTY SHERIFF (BONUS I) HENRY YOO, assigned to SPECIAL ENFORCEMENT BUREAU (TEAM MEMBER)
DEPUTY SHERIFF (BONUS I) EDWARD SALINAS, assigned to SPECIAL ENFORCEMENT BUREAU (TEAM MEMBER)
A Tradition of Service Since 1850
BEHIND THE BADGE
Each month, a member of the Department has the opportunity to share their views and give us insight as to how the Los Santos County Sheriff's Department has affected their personal and professional life. In this release, Deputy Sheriff Christopher Fortin will do just that.
- Why did you join the Sheriff's Department?
The truth is, joining the Los Santos County Sheriff's Department was surely the idea of serving and upholding the law but I'll be honest here. Most folks around my neighborhood didn't see cops as heroes. Rather, they considered them their enemies. Even my family used to think being in the force was a disgrace and I wanted to change that perspective. After dropping out of college, I joined the academy and when my family and friends learned about it, they stopped talking to me and supporting me. The academy was tough, both physically and mentally - at one point it was heartbreaking and I wanted to leave, but it was all worth it. I learned the law, tactics and discipline. For me, this badge's not just a symbol of an authority, rather I feel like it's a reminder of where I come from and how can I make a change while being in here. Only we know how difficult this job is and the responsibility we carry. It's a promise to this county, a promise to myself, to be a part of something bigger, to make a difference, one day at a time.
- What has the Department taught you?
The Department has taught me the law, yes, but more importantly it taught me the commitment to serve and the journey towards making a positive impact. I should not be just enforcing the law rather I should be understanding the human stories behind it. The responsibility I hold to make a judgement ensuring to make a fair decision and continously working to serve the public to the best my ability.
- Where do you see yourself in five years?
After five years? Currently my focus is mastering the OSS fundamentals. I'm gathering up as much as knowledge on building relationships and proving myself worthy of becoming a valuable asset to the Bureau. Long term? It's too early to say, but the future within the OSS looks bright, and I'm looking forward to seeing what's next.
- What would you say to people who are considering joining the Sheriff's Department?
Well, a few words to my future beloved candidates are that this job's demanding and rewarding so get ready for long hours and unexpected challenges. It's not all about the action though. Expect tasks ranging from daily public outreach to a - sometimes staggering - amount of paperwork. Be prepared for a variety of responsibilities that contribute to the Department's overall mission. However, you'll come to find that it's all worth it in the end.
A Tradition of Service Since 1850
MAJOR INCIDENTS
Red County Fire Department Memorial Service, Palomino Creek
SEB Hostage Rescue, Fern Ridge
Suicidal Person Rescue, Reagan Intersection
A Tradition of Service Since 1850
(( CLOSING STATEMENTS ))
Executive Staff
Hey guys. This month has been interesting, as it's the first month of LSSD's re-existence. There have been a few bumps on the road, but overall we are quite pleased with the results and believe the community is also mostly satisfied. Of course, there will always be issues and concerns popping up as time passes. If you happen to have any, please get in touch with any one of us and we'll try to sort things out as soon as we possibly can. A few general things we'd like to make everyone aware of:
- Progress of IAB investigations is once again public HERE;
- DST applications are open (continuous) HERE;
- Players may request ride-alongs HERE;
- Weapon licensing applications are open as usual HERE;
- News agencies who wish to get in touch with the Department may click HERE. Furthermore, press pass applications are now being considered.
Dillimore Station
Following an internal discussion with the Executive & Command staff, we have decided and went through with merging the two stations (Fort Carson's Sheriff Station and Dillimore Sheriff's Station) under one roof due to station inactivity that we've been facing. Ideally, this will aid deputies to coordinate better with each other and provide the faction with more station-wide events and roleplay. This also means that we now have more opportunities to host events with the general public to generate a bond with the general public and the law enforcement agency.
- Horizon
Training Bureau
Going into the month of March, Training Bureau remains on course as the faction's most rigorous gateway. Despite of the low volume of applications which may point to a lack of interest from the community shown during our current open continuous drive, our commitment to maintaining the faction's standards and help it remain on course with its Out of Character mission & values remains unwavering.
Training Bureau's current sole extension is the Pre-Employment unit which has seen new members fill in its ranks to help with the current drive — we are extremely thankful to those who came forward to contribute to the faction's growth & success. As the unit tasked with guarding the faction's gateway, the responsibility lies in their hands to evaluate applicants' suitability and uphold the integrity of our faction.
We remain hopeful as we move on with the month of March, hoping to introduce quality new members that meet the faction's standards and are eager to uphold its values.
- DinkDonk
Special Enforcement Bureau
During February, we worked on re-establishing the Special Enforcement Bureau, which currently consists of two Special Weapons Teams tasked with handling high-risk tactical situations, barricaded suspects, hostage rescues, and high-risk warrant service. Several training guides have been developed, along with special courses such as the Long Rifle course. We are continuously working on recruiting and training new members for the SEB. In the previous month, our Special Enforcement Bureau deployed four times in total, out of which incidents were resolved with the use of lethal force twice.
- crazy serb
Operation Safe Streets Bureau
Operation Safe Streets Bureau has been attempting to work with the illegal factions on the server to create a more fluid roleplay experience. We have set up a discord server to enable us to communicate with gangs oocly, and allow them share information that might be missed due to script limitations, or tag us to get in game.
We started off slowly at lunch due to waiting on skins and a few other things to allow us to operate, but we’ve now been active in game working with street gang factions. We have created an IC database of gang members which will be kept up to date. Now that it seems like server activity is slowly picking up again we hope to aim for things like injunctions and IC gun buybacks to provide roleplay for legal and illegal factions.
- tom
Internal Affairs Bureau
The Internal Affairs Bureau has been running smoothly since the transition to the LSSD. The primary purpose of the Internal Affairs Bureau is to handle all in-character allegations of misconduct among employees and review use-of-force reports; in this regard, the IAB has had its fair share of things to do. The biggest change, announced yesterday, was the implementation of IAB roll-out teams that will respond to shootings in the field when able; this will help make what is usually an almost exclusively forum-based role a more in-game one as well, as we strive to more accurately portray the LASD. Expect to see a greater field presence from members of the IAB in the coming days as the roll-out teams are implemented.
- PackAttack
Sheriff’s Information Bureau – Newsroom
Los Santos County Sheriff’s Department
Hall of Justice - First floor
211 W. Temple St, Los Santos, SA 90012
Revised March 3, 2024
