When I was a deputy, I had just finished working an involved elder abuse case with Deputy District Attorney Joyce Campbell. My wife and I were going to take a motorcycle ride down the coast. I told Joyce, who asked me to stop by the Pismo Beach Police Department and say hello to her son, Brian Martin (a motor officer with the department).
After a long ride, we stopped by the police department, but Brian was off that day. His fellow officers respected him a lot, told me a few funny stories about him and then telephoned his house. Not one officer or supervisor said anything bad about him. To my surprise, Brian arrived and chatted with me. He loved the department, but complained about the cost of living for the area. I could see he missed Lake County. I asked him to consider returning to Lakeport and join the Sheriff”s Office. He said, he would think about it.
A few months later, Brian joined the force and I was assigned as one of his Field Training Officers. His experience, knowledge of the area and his ability to make friends made his training a short and easy one. When I made sergeant, he was extremely easy to supervise. At my recommendation, Brian was promoted to Field Training Officer in less than a year. It wasn”t because I liked him, it was based on his good reports, he had been a FTO with Pismo Beach PD and his ability to interact with others. I never received any citizen complaints or even any off handed remarks about him or any trainee under his supervision.
The past two sergeants in charge of the Field Training Program were tasked to completely rebuild the program to state standards, but they failed. I was tasked to complete this mission in just a few months. Although I asked a few FTO”s to help me, Brian was the only deputy to volunteer. We designed a completely new Field Training Program including policy changes, new training manuals and procedures in selection of Field Training Officers and salary compensation. The program was submitted to the Sheriff and certified by POST in its first submission. I could not have done this without Brian”s help. He always had suggestions, never argued, took on more than any other FTO and did this while training new deputies.
I supported Rivero when he ran against Mitchell and I believe I posted more election signs for him than anyone else. Rivero did a few things good in my opinion. He got rid of Mitchell, caused one captain to resign even before he officially took office and another to retire shortly after. Unfortunately after that, Rivero”s actions made it almost impossible to perform his duties. The Brady issue and the mishandling of RIM was not good for him. Another is his constant fighting with the Board of Supervisors, both police department chief”s, the District Attorney and the media. Even his deputies would stop by my place of work and constantly complain about Rivero. Martin and Howe tried to work with Rivero, but found it impossible, so instead of causing a rift or confrontation, they simply resigned. That shows professionalism.
I had the pleasure to chat with Chalk and found him to be a very nice and knowledgeable man, but I never had the chance to work with him like I had with Martin. I asked that you support Brian Martin for Sheriff and put a respectable man in office.
Jim Beland
Lakeport
