As we enter the winter holiday season and bring 2007 to a close, we should take a moment to reflect on our growth as a community. We have faced many challenges since my arrival as your Chief of Police in January, and I must say we have met them all head on. Through all our collective efforts, we have grown even stronger as the close knit community of Santa Clarita. I find it hard to believe it has already been almost a year since my taking command of the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station; and what an exciting year it has been! Having lived in Santa Clarita almost as long as I have been in law enforcement, I can truly appreciate the safety and spirit of community involvement I have experienced.

I had set many goals for my first year as your Chief of Police and I continue to maintain high expectations for law enforcement service to the community. Through the contributions of the residents, the efforts of my staff, the support of the City of Santa Clarita and the County of Los Angeles, we have met--and in many cases exceeded--our goals and expectations thus far in 2007. We remain prepared for any emergency and respond as the needs of the community dictate.

Throughout the year, we had emergencies and serious crimes that impacted the community, such as the Interstate 5 Freeway truck crash, the massive wildfires that struck the area and the search for and apprehension of the Canyon Country rapist, we pulled together with great resolve and through our collaborative efforts, survived intact. I can assure you your Sheriff Station personnel will continue to work together to help all those who were directly affected. In direct contrast to these unforeseen incidents, we joined thousands in the community, providing protection, traffic enforcement, and participation in incredible planned community events and gatherings such as the Amgen Tour of California, the Santa Clarita Marathon, the Fireworks Celebration, Concerts in the Park, the Street Art Festival, and many others.

In January, I made a commitment to improve all areas of service provided by the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station. As part of that commitment, our station has partnered with the City of Santa Clarita to form a new Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station website (www.scvsheriff.com) to more efficiently serve your law enforcement needs. We also formed the new City of Santa Clarita Sheriff’s Business Alliance to better protect our business communities. One of the keys has been working closely with all our community partners on many educational and crime prevention programs and messages such as, the “Parents Guide to Teenage Parties,” the “False Alarm Prevention Guide,” and a community message on safeguarding against property related crimes. Our crime prevention deputies have held several senior safety programs, Identity Theft awareness training, neighborhood and school block watch meetings, as well as many other crime prevention programs to aid our residents in self-protection, safety, and awareness. Our patrol deputies and Detective Bureau have been directly involved with several graffiti and theft related cases, putting numerous criminals behind bars who were responsible for hundreds of thousands of dollars in property damage and theft.

However, our work is not done! We have just begun to take your Sheriff’s Station to the level of service that is expected by a community of this size. My staff and I are aggressively working with the City of Santa Clarita and the County of Los Angeles in station expansion efforts, dispatch center improvements, equipment and patrol increases, technology and public awareness and educational campaigns.

I am also a big proponent of youth related programs and taking care of our youth, as they are the future of this great community. The Vital Intervention and Directional Alternatives (VIDA) program is a 16-week program designed to assist “at-risk” youth, ages 12-17, in our community by redirecting negative behavior into positive alternatives. I am proud to announce that the current class graduated another 19 youths on December 1st at City Hall. There is still space available in the next class which is scheduled to start the first week in February 2008. In addition to the successes of VIDA, the “Every 15 Minutes” and Sheriff’s Teen Traffic Offender Program (STTOP) have proven very successful. Both programs contribute to encouraging safe driving habits for our youth. The Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff Station’s traffic jurisdiction has not seen any fatality related traffic incidents in the City of Santa Clarita involving teenage drivers this year. What great news that is!

On behalf of all the staff at the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station, I want to wish everyone a safe, productive, and joyful holiday season and many successes as we move into 2008. I would be remiss if I did not remind all residents to celebrate responsibly during family gatherings this holiday season, take care and precautions to protect your property in vehicles while shopping during the holidays and stay involved with keeping our community safe. Visit the following link for additional information: “Holiday Safety Tips” .

Preventing crime in Santa Clarita is everyone’s business - If You See Something, Say Something! Non-emergency crime can be reported anonymously by calling (877) TIP LASD (877-847-5273) or (661) 284-2-TIP (661-284-2847) or by visiting the following link: Crime Tips.

Best regards,

Captain Anthony La Berge
Chief of Police for the City of Santa Clarita