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Sierra Madre chooses former Sheriff’s Department unit commander to be next police chief
Sierra Madre has a new police chief.
City officials announced Saturday, March 21, they selected Rodrick Armalin, most recently a unit commander with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, for the job.
“We are very excited for Chief Armalin to join our team,” City Manager Gabriel Engeland said in a statement. “He brings incredible experience to the city, is community focused, and is committed to developing the members of the Police Department.”
Armalin made the move after more than 30 years with the Sheriff’s Department. Sierra Madre’s statement said he has significant experience with community-oriented policing, emergency management and preparedness, mass trauma event response and homelessness.
In his most recent post with the Sheriff’s Department, Armalin managed 176 personnel who provided all law enforcement services to nine community colleges.
“I am extremely excited about working with the men and women of Sierra Madre Police Department,” Armalin said in a statement, “and eagerly anticipating meeting and becoming a member of this wonderful community.”
The chief position has been vacant since April 2019.
The city also promoted Sgt. Henry Amos to the rank of police captain.
COVID-19 / PPOA FAQ – Part One
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COVID-19 Update for PPOA Members
March 17, 2020 – There are and continue to be numerous concerns and issues presented by the COVID-19 pandemic and our governments’ responses. The plans and actions of the Federal, State, and County entities range from brilliant to unknown. The two constants in these unprecedented times are that all of the protocols presented are fluid daily (sometimes hourly) and that PPOA will work collaboratively with these entities to protect our members in the most efficient manner.
As for priorities, the health and safety of all members and their families are of utmost concern to PPOA. We continue to demand of all represented County Departments the need for public facing members to have appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) .
Additionally, of great importance to all involved is open communication. Through our efforts, PPOA has attended conference calls with County leadership (County CEO, County Counsel, DHR, Coalition of County Union [CCU] members), our legal counsel, the Sheriff’s Department, Office of the Medical Examiner, and the District Attorney’s Bureau of Investigation. As a result of these conversations, PPOA now has standing DAILY conference calls with an executive level liaison at each Department as well as scheduled meetings with the County CEO’s Office and CCU members later this week.
From these meetings, we will participate in providing member experiences, assist with member concerns, and receive the latest information to communicate to PPOA members. While contacting PPOA to provide us with work experiences and concerns is important, we cannot stress enough the importance of utilizing the chain of command within your agency. Often, through these communications, problems are getting resolved, as well as concerns are being brought to the attention of those who were unaware and can be addressed immediately.
Additionally, our family at home, the PPOA staff, have had their safety and concerns considered. At this time, and through technology, all PPOA staff have been provided the opportunity to “telework” either full-time or part-time, with their presence only needed in the office to retrieve files or supplies. Rest assured, at least one staff member will be in the PPOA office during business hours as scheduled for any needs that cannot be addressed telephonically or electronically.
After completing our research and confirming available information, later this week PPOA will be providing a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to assist in most circumstances. In addition to our continued updates, the County has created a website for information distribution specific to COVID-19 issues – https://lacounty.gov/covid19/
As always, thank you for being a PPOA family member and be safe.
Tab Rhodes
PPOA President
Week in Review 3/14/20
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Coronavirus Pandemic / Cancelled Vacations
March 12th, 2020 – At approximately 1130 AM today, PPOA was notified, by numerous PPOA members, regarding the Sheriff cancelling all vacations through May 31, 2020. PPOA immediately contacted Employee Relations for a “meet and confer” and joined with ALADS in a meeting with the Department at 2PM. Topics of this meeting included numerous issues such as:
- Proper notification to the unions of unilateral decisions significantly affecting members and their rights,
- Exemptions to this new announcement for those with scheduled vacations including special occasions (weddings, graduations, etc.) and/or paid airfare or resort fees
- Correspondence from the Sheriff for members to present to airlines and resorts to expedite refunds, and
- Continued communication.
PPOA will continue to assist members in any way possible during these uncertain and historically difficult times during of the Coronavirus pandemic. The Department has agreed to make efforts to improve communications (proposed conference calls with PPOA and ALADS, twice a week) and include both unions in Operation Plan concepts as they are developed.
Remember, the best defense to preventing Coronavirus is practicing good public hygiene similar to flu and cold precautions as well as limiting your exposure by avoiding large groups of people.
Of course, as information becomes available, PPOA will provide continued communication through personal e-mail blasts, Week in Review, our website, Facebook, and our mobile app.
Heroes Motorcycle Ride Postponed
The 8th Annual Heroes Motorcycle Ride, Sunday, March 29th, is postponed and PPOA will contact you as soon as new details become available.
SCV Sheriff’s Station Welcomes Justin Diez as New Captain
After about two months since Cmdr. Robert Lewis’ final days as head of the station, the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station welcomed one of its own, Justin Diez, as its newest captain.
Diez, a local resident who served at the SCV station for several years as an operations lieutenant before transferring to the Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station, was recently promoted and will be returning to the local station under his new title.
While the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has the final say on who is appointed captain, County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, whose district includes the SCV, and the city of Santa Clarita have provided recommendations in the past via interview panels that include the city manager and mayor.
On Sunday, Barger said, “The Santa Clarita Valley continues to be a very safe community because of the proactive policing policies and the hard work of deputies. We know that Capt. Diez will bring the leadership and the support for our hardworking deputies to continue this successful trend.”
City Manager Ken Striplin, who has participated in about seven transitions since working with the city, said during a Feb. 11 City Council meeting that, as the manager, he has the ability to “pass on a recommendation to the (Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department) as to who we would like to be that captain.”
“Capt. Diez is going to come in and continue to use the same policing procedures to keep Santa Clarita one of the safest cities in the area,” Striplin said Sunday. “I am excited to work with him to continue to keep Santa Clarita safe.”
Mayor Cameron Smyth, who was part of the interview panel, said Sunday, “We had a number of qualified candidates that we interviewed but I think that Justin’s connection to the Santa Clarita Valley station and being a local resident certainly helped set him above some of the other candidates. I think he’s going to be a great fit for the position; he understands the expectations that the residents of Santa Clarita have for our sheriff’s captain.”
Diez starts under his new title following Lewis’ nearly three-year career as captain for the local station. Lewis was recently promoted to commander, much like his predecessor Roosevelt Johnson, and concluded his time as captain at the SCV station in late December.
The SCV Sheriff’s Station has an estimated 170 deputies operating for a community of about 300,000 residents.