2 FilAms are LA’s new deputy sheriffs
Joekerr
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 07:25:00 10/27/2009
Filed Under: Government, Police, Migration, Americas - United States
WHITTIER, California, United States—Two Filipino Americans were
presented with official badges of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s
Department marking their new careers as deputy sheriffs.
Michael Camacho and Manolo Afable, both originally from Manila, were
among 40 men and women who received certificates of completion of the
Deputy Sheriff Academy Class 379 on October 9. The ceremony was held
at the Stars Center in Whittier, California.
In his address, Sheriff Leroy Baca exhorts the new officers to bear in
mind that save for some, most people are overwhelmingly good; that
they must always seek to find goodness even from those they may have
to arrest.
“Strength is what you have now but strength without kindness is
empty,” Baca said.
It may be recalled that only last month a native of Pampanga, Sheriff
Deputy Jose Nanquil, was among the recipients of the Medal of Valor
bestowed yearly by the Los Angeles County Sheriff Department. The
event was held at the Quiet Cannon Restaurant in Montebello, about 9
miles east of Los Angeles.
The medal is the department’s highest honor awarded only to those
displaying great bravery above and beyond the call of duty with full
knowledge of the risk involved to personal safety in order to save the
lives of others.
Nanquil joined the sheriff’s department in 1989 and has been assigned
at the Industry Station since 2001.
According to Wikipedia, the Los Angeles County Sheriff Department is
the seventh largest law enforcement agency in the United States and
since 1996, has also been the largest sheriffs department in the
world. It provides general-service law enforcement to unincorporated
areas of the county as well as incorporated cities within the county
who have contracted with the agency for law-enforcement services.
It also holds primary jurisdiction over facilities operated by Los
Angeles County, such as local parks, marinas, and government buildings
(but delegates much of that authority to the Los Angeles County Office
of Public Safety); provides marshal service for the county’s Superior
Court of California; operates the county jail system; and provides
services, such as laboratories and academy training, to smaller law
enforcement agencies within the county. The Los Angeles County
Sheriff's Department is sometimes referred to as the Los Angeles
Sheriff's Office.