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In This Issue...
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Sgt. Jim Ross Comes Full Circle
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Driving Impaired: The Costs & Consequences
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Sgt. Jim Ross Comes Full Circle
County Native Oversees Sheriff's Service Center as it Moves to New Felton Home
By Linda Fridy
Sgt. Jim Ross will miss the former home of the San Lorenzo Valley sheriff's service station as it moves to a new shared office with Cal Fire.
But that's about the only regret he has in his new position managing the Sheriff's Office presence in the community.
Ross started his career with the department working patrol in the Valley in 1992, and the current Scotts Valley resident is clearly delighted to be back where he began. The cost-saving move to a smaller office on Highway 9 does not dim his enthusiasm for a job that's been a family business for some time.
Ross, 36, sees a few changes over the years, but the community feels the same, he said.
"The difference is the proliferation of methamphetamine ... Heroin was the drug of choice [in the early 1990s]," he said. "[Valley residents] haven't changed. They are still willing to step up and help with problems."
After spending several years in patrol and training, Ross returned to the San Lorenzo Valley in July. He joked that he has been there just long enough to get used to the more spacious office on Graham Hill Road before overseeing the move the week of Nov. 16.
The office location doesn't define the job, however.
"When I started here, we didn't have community service centers. We rode out of Felton Fire," he recalled.
The people who make the station successful will be making the move.
"I'm really proud of the office. We have young, enthusiastic, committed deputies," he said.
They get a boost from 11 regular volunteers, who will be a bit more separated from the deputies in their new quarters.
"The volunteers – they run this building. I'm so grateful to have them," Ross said.
He also expects to add a community service officer in the New Year.
Law in the Family
Ross followed his father and uncle into a career in law enforcement. His father, the late Herb Ross, spent 28 years with Capitola Police, and his uncle has been with the Calaveras County Sheriff's Office for 45 years.
"The choice was up to me. I was not feeling like I had to, which probably helped my decision," he said.
His father admired the Sheriff's Office and once Ross was set on going into law enforcement, the elder Ross introduced his son to people he knew.
Ross recalled his time as a cadet riding along on weekends with Alan Burt, who he considers one of his mentors.
"I really liked this office, and I'm just as proud to be here now," Ross said.
The work still interests him, too.
"One of the rewarding things about this job is the variety," he said. "There are tragic things we see and witness in our careers, but there are rewarding and a lot of funny aspects of this job, too."
He has responded to a complaint from one neighbor that the two-year-old next door is being encouraged by a parent to be loud. As a parent of a two-year-old himself, Ross explained that the child is more likely responsible for the volume than the parent.
Responding to the Community
After spending time in patrol and training, Ross relishes the opportunity his new position gives him to build relationships.
"When you're on patrol, you're kind of the Band-Aid. ... [In this job I can] start a project and see it through," he said, adding that the deputies keep him updated on locations or issues that need follow-up.
One of the first issues Ross began work on when he joined the San Lorenzo Valley service this past summer is neighbor complaints about possible drug or nuisance houses.
In one case, he said, dozens of people complained about a home and signed a petition, but the individual was unaware of the level of neighborhood unhappiness. Ross is optimistic that in that instance, his intervention can go a long way toward solving the problem.
Another location has more deep-rooted problems. By pulling dispatch call records and checking with other law enforcement divisions, Ross found multiple concerns. In this ongoing case, neighbors have helped by supplying license plates of frequent visitors, and searches by parole and probation have landed some of the offenders back in jail.
As another way to up the pressure, he'll also give the planning department a call if a troublesome location has violations.
While Ross said some people are hesitant to call for fear of retaliation by troublemakers, his experience so far is that neighbors most often join together to present a petition or ask for a meeting.
The disputes are not always a threat to a neighborhood. He has already found himself drinking tea in the living rooms of two older ladies who don't get along, trying to smooth that situation.
With the holiday season underway, Ross noted that the combination of alcohol and family gatherings means the office will get a number of disturbance calls on Thanksgiving and Christmas.
This is also a time of increased thefts.
"We should all be aware of our surroundings and be sure to lock our cars and houses," he warned.
Judgment Calls and Cooperation
Part of his work is counseling and mediating, Ross said.
He explained that over time in law enforcement, a person learns to judge people for how much of a threat they pose. Some he comes in contact with are simply lost and of little harm to anyone but themselves. Others, the people who victimize law-abiding citizens, pose much more of a threat and need to go to jail, he said.
The people who live in the San Lorenzo Valley let him know what they need in many cases.
"I'm working with the community, responding to calls, emails and walk-ins," he said.
A neighborhood concerned about traffic speed contacted him about putting in speed bumps. Ross learned that while the street is not long enough to have bumps installed, it could qualify for a stop sign to help slow traffic.
"Working with other agencies is going to be a big part of this job," he said.
Along with other county departments, Ross has spoken with school officials. The San Lorenzo Valley does not have a dedicated school resource officer.
Until a better budget permits an officer to be assigned, Ross will fill some of the duties — talking to students in trouble and tracking problems.
He may also make calls along with a school representative to homes of students with excessive truancy issues.
These kinds of contacts and early interventions reflect Ross' commitment to community policing.
"It's fun. I enjoy going to work every day," he said.
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