Los Angeles County Professional Peace Officers Association
Los Angeles County Professional Peace Officers Association
September 3, 2019 — PPOA is extremely pleased to report that Lieutenant Shawn Kehoe has been successfully re-elected to both the LACERA Board of Retirement and Board of Investments. We are thankful to every PPOA member who took the time to vote and to Lieutenant Kehoe for his commitment to protecting our pensions and healthcare. We also want to extend our gratitude to ALADS leadership and members for supporting this important re-election effort.
Captain Matthew S. Vander Horck
Matthew S. Vander Horck is the new Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff Station Captain and comes to the position with one goal in mind—“to be as good as [former Captain] Josh Thai, or even better.”
Born and raised in Long Beach, Calif., Vander Horck has been serving with the LASD since 1993. He is also the third generation in his family to serve as a first responder—his father was an officer in the Los Angeles Police Department.
This is Vander Horck’s first time at the Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station, having previously served at the Century City Sheriff’s Station for the past five years.
He received his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and earned a master’s degree in public policy and administration from Cal State Long Beach. While attending college, he worked in the field as a reserve police officer at the Harbor Division in the City of Los Angeles.
Vander Horck has had experience across LA County—he started working in the Hollywood jail in 1991, eventually moving to the Century City, Lakewood and Compton stations.
Vander Horck said he gravitated toward law enforcement because of his father, an LAPD officer.
“When I was growing up, my dad was my hero,” Vander Horck said. “He was Superman, Batman, Spider-Man all rolled into one. I want[ed] to be just like him.”
When Vander Horck told his father he was taking criminal justice classes, his dad thought he wouldn’t last long on the job.
“He worked LAPD and he thought it would be so strict on me that I would quit, that I was going to be a dentist or something else—but it backfired; I loved it,” Vander Horck said. “I started working three to five shifts a week for free as a reserve and, by luck, I ended up on the sheriff’s department.”
When he was starting out, Vander Horck said, he didn’t realize how extensive the tasks of the sheriff’s department were, outside traditional police work.
“To the courts, to the custody, from the mountains to the beaches of Malibu and everything in between,” Vander Horck said, listing off areas overseen by the department. “From the search and rescue—the list goes on.”
Vander Horck previously was a lieutenant and was promoted to second in command at the Lakewood station.
“I was acting captain there for a few months, so it gave me an idea how to relate to city managers, city councils and people in the community and find out what their needs are,” Vander Horck said. “I think that’s where I really learned that, what I might [think] is important, isn’t [necessarily] important to that community.”
“I might think that burglaries or robberies might be the biggest thing, but it might be equality, life insurance or homelessness,” Vander Horck said. “It taught me how to be in touch with the cities’ needs.”
For two-and-a-half years, Vander Horck worked with recruiting units to attract and hire in the department.
Vander Horck said working in different departments gave him an idea that every community has different needs.
“When I came to Compton Station, gangs and narcotics were the two biggest things at that time,” Vander Horck said. “So, the community was very proactive working with us; they were invested in this community and they wanted to see a difference.”
Lieutenant Jennifer Seetoo, Malibu’s liaison with the Lost Hills Station, has known Captain Vander Horck for many years and said she was looking forward to working with him.
“One thing that most people don’t know about Matt is he’s a fourth degree blackbelt in Judo—so I think I can take him, so we’re good,” Seetoo joked. “I’m really happy to have him here and for him to be our new captain.”
To prepare for his role as captain, Vander Horck took classes in leadership at a Marine Corps base in Virginia.
“I have a very fresh perspective on this. The philosophy I took from there, I kind of put in play all these years and made it more impactful for me,” Vander Horck said. “I’m in my second week right now and I’m concentrating on my employees.”
Vander Horck wants to give his employees the best work environment possible, as well as the resources they need to do their jobs.
“I think it’s important for my employees and the city to know that I’m here to maintain—and, if I can, improve upon—the quality service that they are accustomed to under [former Captain] Josh Thai,” Vander Horck said.
Vander Horck took over command after the medical retirement of Thai.
“I have spent a lot of time with him in the last few weeks and he’s been very helpful,” Vander Horck said. “In terms of big shoes to fit, he was loved by the people and the city. You can be a very effective captain without being loved, so I would like to do both. My goal is to be as good as Josh Thai or even better.”
END OF WATCH: 8/9/19
PPOA is saddened to announce the passing of Industry Station Sergeant Ernie Barbosa. The 30-year department veteran was hospitalized last month for an off-duty catastrophic medical issue and was waiting to be approved for additional treatment. Unfortunately, Ernie’s health deteriorated and he passed away yesterday.
“The PPOA family is saddened by the loss of a dedicated member, Ernie Barbosa,” said PPOA President Tab Rhodes. “His sudden passing is a stark reminder of how our time on this earth is precious. We have been, and will continue to support his family during this difficult time.”
Ernie was well-respected by colleagues, especially at Industry Station, his assignment for the last 10 years. He took pride in serving as Patrol and Scheduling Sergeant as well as his current assignment overseeing the station’s Youth Athletic League.
The PPOA board of directors extends heartfelt condolences to Ernie’s wife, Rachel, his children and his many friends throughout the Sheriff’s Department. We ask that you keep them in your thoughts and prayers.
We will provide additional information about memorial services as it becomes available.
August 4: PPOA extends our sincere condolences to the family and colleagues of Custody Assistant Steven Contreras. The 30-year LASD veteran was preparing to come to work on Sunday, August 4th when he suffered a medical emergency. Steve died that evening while being treated at a local hospital. By virtue of his three decades of dedicated service, Steve had many friends on the department, was well-respected and recently received his 30-year pin (photo) from Chief Patrick Jordan (former PPOA board member) and Captain Andy Berg. Steve’s assignments included MCJ, Pico Rivera Station and San Dimas Station.
“Steve’s dedication to his family and his profession were evident the first time I met him,” said PPOA Board Member Tony Coleman. “He spoke in glowing terms of what kept him and most of us grounded and going — our families.”
FUNDRAISER SCHEDULED TO HELP CONTRERAS FAMILY: Steve’s work family at San Dimas Station is hosting a BBQ on Wednesday, August 14th to raise much-needed support for his widow and 14-year old daughter, who is scheduled to start high school this week. PPOA will be grilling at this event and we encourage you to join us on Wednesday to honor Steve’s service. We also ask that you keep his family in your thoughts and prayers at this extremely difficult time.
BBQ for Contreras FamilyWednesday, August 14thSan Dimas Sheriff’s Station12pm – 4pm$8 per plate (includes meal & drink)All proceeds will benefit the Contreras family.
For more information, please call San Dimas Station at (909) 450-2700.
July 23: PPOA board members convened a special meeting on Tuesday to discuss membership in the Coalition of Los Angeles County Unions (CCU). Following weeks of research and deliberation, the board decided to join the Coalition and is confident that PPOA members will benefit from the strength of numbers that comes with CCU membership. Less than a month ago, more than 775 members of PPOA received letters describing changes in the Fringe Benefit contract recently negotiated between the County and CCU. These changes included a notification that those members participating in the CAPE Union-Sponsored Health Care Plan would potentially lose the ability to renew this plan through Choices open enrollment in October 2019. As PPOA in the recent past had always received the benefits of the negotiated Fringe Benefit contract, this loss was unexpected and unacceptable. Additionally, this development represented a future potential risk to PPOA members’ access to other CCU Union-Sponsored Health Care Plans and benefits. PPOA leadership and staff immediately began the outreach to CCU, CAPE, and the County to identify options. As a result of many efforts and numerous meetings, the PPOA Board of Directors was presented potential solutions on Tuesday. In the end, the board decided rejoining the CCU was the best decision to protect our members and ensure new opportunities in the future. President Rhodes stated, “I am so pleased the PPOA Board recognized the urgency of the situation and value of rejoining the CCU. As the first major challenge to hit this new administration, I am very pleased to have had everyone’s assistance in this process. Additionally, a big thank you to the leadership of ALADS, for their help and guidance in our research and readmittance into the CCU, which demonstrates a new collaborative relationship.” The CCU represents more than 30,000 men and women employed by the County of Los Angeles and negotiates for your fringe benefits collectively with no less than 10 CCU affiliate unions. PPOA looks forward to working with the CCU to protect and enhance benefits for our membership. For more information, please visit www.coalitionofcountyunions.com.
After more than three decades with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department — including a total of 10 years at the Crescenta Valley Station, where he recently served as interim captain — Lt. Mark Slater will retire next Thursday.
Station employees will hold a July 31 sendoff barbecue to celebrate Slater’s last day at the station where he served as a leader and mentor to young deputies.
“We’re going to be sad to see him leave,” Crescenta Valley Deputy Chad Pluimer said Tuesday. “He’s been a great supervisor. Anything you need to know, he’s the guy to go to — he’s got all the answers.”
In a sit-down interview with the Valley Sun, Slater, the 56-year-old father of three reflected on his tenure with the Sheriff’s Department. His career began in 1986 with a two-year stint as a deputy working in detention centers in Castaic and Lancaster.
It wasn’t too long before he realized he might like a work assignment that would let him circulate among the wider public.
“In the jails your community is the inmates,” he said. “I wanted to be out in the streets and be at a station.”
As a patrol deputy and traffic investigator for the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station from 1991 to 2004, Slater handed out moving violations and pieced together the causes of vehicle collisions, often informing family members when fatalities occurred.
Looking to broaden his experience in 2004, he applied for the rank of sergeant and was promoted and assigned to oversee the same jails he’d worked in as a deputy. One year later, Slater requested assignment to the Crescenta Valley Station, a place he’d come to know through work visits.
“I like the vastness with the mountains right there and it was an easy drive just off the 210 (Freeway),” the Santa Clarita resident recalled. “I just fell in love with the community and the support from the community — it just seemed to stand out more here.”
About eight years into his assignment, Slater saw another opportunity to advance to lieutenant and was promoted in 2013. He supervised jail programs at three correctional facilities and came to see another side of LASD as inmates received job training, life skills lessons and high school diplomas.
“It showed me that we’re not just about locking them up and throwing away the key,” Slater said. “We’re providing them the opportunity to better themselves and to break the cycle of recidivism.”
Despite his enthusiasm for jail programs, Slater began to tire of the constant commute between facilities in Castaic, Lynwood and Downtown Los Angeles and requested to return to the Crescenta Valley station in 2017.
His relationship with then-Capt. Chris Blasnek, and his ties with La Cañada Flintridge and La Crescenta officials deepened as he worked and participated in numerous community and charitable events. After Blasnek was promoted to commander in January and reassigned, Slater served as interim captain while the department searched for a new leader.
Although he put in for the position, department executives moved other candidates forward. Figuring he’d gone as far as his own hard work and initiative could get him, Slater decided it was time to retire.
“The department had a process and I was not selected to be a part of that process,” he said, confessing it took some time for him to make peace with that. “I’d said I was going to work until 55 — a couple years ago one of my passwords was ‘reTire@55’ — it was something I could envision.”
Slater plans to travel and spend time with wife Doreen, daughter Ashley, 24, 22-year-old son Christopher and daughter Natalie, 19. For those who’ve come to count on the lieutenant’s reliability and dedication, however, his departure is tinged with sadness.
“Lt. Slater excelled in the personal attention he gave the community and the importance and value he placed on ensuring that the city’s needs were met,” La Cañada City Manager Mark Alexander said in an email. “We hate to lose him, but we are grateful for his many years of service to the community.”
Attention PPOA Safety Members:
On August 5th, you will receive an important email from LACERA. This will be sent to your department email address and will include instructions for voting electronically or by phone for the LACERA election. Please note that ballots will not be mailed to your home.
The PPOA board of directors has once again unanimously voted to endorse LASD Lieutenant Shawn Kehoe and urges all Safety members to vote to re-elect Shawn to represent the interests of LASD sworn employees on both the LACERA Board of Retirement and the Board of Investments.
Click below for more info.
June 13, 2019: After 10 years of dedicated service to the members of the Professional Peace Officers Association, Brian Moriguchi resigned as president at yesterday’s board meeting, citing health concerns. President Moriguchi stated he planned on serving in that capacity longer, but felt this was the right time to leave. “It has been a great pleasure serving the PPOA membership over the years,” states Moriguchi. “I have complete confidence in the new leadership and the board of directors.” As the longest sitting President of PPOA, Brian is known nationwide for his efforts and contributions to PPOA, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, and the law enforcement community. Thank you so much, Brian.
As a result of this sudden revelation, the Board of Directors unanimously elected the current Vice-President, Lieutenant Tab Rhodes, as the new
President of PPOA. In addition, long-serving Secretary Jim Blankenship (Law Enforcement Technician) was elected to be the new Vice-President and Tony Coleman (Custody Assistant) was elected to serve as the new Board Secretary. Rogelio Maldonado (DAI Lieutenant) will remain as Treasurer. Past President Moriguchi has graciously agreed to remain on the Board as a Director to assist our new President with the transition.
The Board of Directors also took the opportunity to round out the conference table by appointing two new members to fill vacant board seats. Please join us in welcoming Commander Carlos Marquez (vacancy created by the promotion of Patrick Jordan to Chief) and Lieutenant Ryan Vienna (vacancy created by the recent retirement of Sergeant Jim Schallert) to the PPOA Board of Directors.
Lewis is a life-long resident of the Santa Clarita Valley and was selected from a pool of three candidates after interviews with Santa Clarita city officials and a representative from Los Angeles County Fifth District Supervisor Kathryn Barger’s office.
At the time of his selection Lewis was not new to the captain’s desk. He had served as acting captain in 2013-14.
“We lived in Saugus, in the original American Beauty tract,” Lewis said. As was typical of the era, Lewis and his siblings had a stay-at-home mother and a hard-working father.
“I was fortunate. My father worked three jobs so he could put us all through Catholic school,” he said.
Choosing law enforcement
It didn’t take long for Lewis to decide on his career path. As he grew up in the SCV, Lewis always knew he wanted a job that would benefit the community.
“I always knew I wanted to do good for the community. I never was sure in what capacity,” he said.
In 1983, Los Angeles Sheriff’s Deputy Frank Nunnlee, took the young Lewis on a ride-along in the Antelope Valley. “I went on a ride-along with him in Lancaster and I fell in love with the job,” Lewis said. “Frank had a good heart and I knew I could be similar to him. I decided to get into law enforcement after that ride-along … and the rest is history.”
He joined the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department while attending College of the Canyons and graduated with an associate degree after finishing the Sheriff’s Department training academy.
In the mid-1990s, Lewis attended California State University, Long Beach where he obtained his Bachelors of Science degree in Vocational and Occupational Studies.
On patrol
Lewis traveled throughout Los Angeles County and the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department during his career.
In 1985 at age 19 ½, Lewis was assigned as a community service officer to the Santa Clarita Valley station. “I started as a CSO to get a general idea of what the job was about and to make sure it was a career that I knew in my heart I could handle,” Lewis said.
It didn’t take long for Lewis to know he was in exactly the right place.
“I knew in my heart this was the calling that God had for me,” he said
As is typical with most new graduates of the Sheriff’s Academy, Lewis spent 18 months working in the county jail. He was promoted to patrol where he stayed for seven years.
Lewis worked in Lost Hills, West Hollywood and the SCV. “I was here in the SCV during the 1994 earthquake,” he said. He worked patrol here from 1992 to 1997.
Climbing the ranks
His career has taken him to nearly every nook and cranny of Los Angeles County including Malibu, West Hollywood, Altadena, Lost Hills, Crescenta Valley and always back to the Santa Clarita Valley. Lewis climbed the ranks from deputy to sergeant to lieutenant and now, captain.
“I was fortunate to be able to come back to the SCV as the captain,” he said.
After seven years on patrol, Lewis was selected to become an instructor at the Sheriff’s training bureau. After three years, he returned to West Hollywood as a sergeant spending three years working on the Sunset Boulevard Policing Team and the Entertainment Policing Team.
He returned to the training bureau as a drill instructor sergeant for the Sheriff’s academy at College of the Canyons. “Both times I was assigned to academy staff, I was fortunate to be assigned close to home at College of the Canyons,” Lewis said.
He returned to Santa Clarita (2007-14) as a lieutenant where he served as watch commander and the service arealieutenantoverseeing crime prevention measures.
During his last training bureau stint, he created “Crises Intervention Training.” The program teaches deputies how to work with individuals in crisis.
Lewis said deputies need effective tools to deal with individuals with mental illness, autism, Alzheimer’s and in other issues. “We have to be able to provide them with resources and other solutions,” he said.
Changes in the SCV
Lewis said Santa Clarita is very different now compared to the 1960s when his family first moved to Saugus.
“The SCV used to be a place where you could leave your doors and windows unlocked at night and let the air in,” he said. “Unfortunately, as it has grown and crimes of opportunity rise, we aren’t that kind of place anymore.”
Despite all the changes in the SCV through the years, Lewis hasn’t found any place he would rather live. In 1989, he bought his first house, a townhome, in this valley. In 1990, he moved up to a single-family home in Valencia. After he married, he bought a bigger house, to raise a family.
Lewis lives in the SCV with his wife and three daughters.
Speed kills
Lewis said people speeding on roads throughout the SCV is an ongoing problem.
“We are trying to get people to slow down,” he said. “We are catching people going as fast as 107 miles an hour — 110 miles an hour. We are citing them, but we are not getting the community to understand that speeding and violating traffic laws to get themselves to where they are going quicker, doesn’t benefit anyone if it leads to an accident,” he said.
Lewis said distracted driving, texting and using a cell phone while driving, adds to the problem.
Overdoses
Another challenge Lewis has faced since becoming the SCV’s “top cop” is the increasing number of overdose deaths in the SCV.
“In 2018, we had 14 overdose deaths by the end of the year. Compare that to 2017 where we had 6,” he said. SCV recorded its ninth overdose death in 2019 during the first week of May.
He is concerned the Santa Clarita could end 2019 with double the overdose deaths of last year. “I need the community to stay vigilant and SCV youth need to be educated about the dangers of drugs,” he said. “One person dying is one person too many for me.”
The problem, which is part of the national epidemic of opioid overdose deaths, is complex and not unique to the SCV. However, Lewis is committed to trying to stem the tide.
“Our passion at the station is to try and reduce overdose deaths and the amount of narcotics in the city,” he said. Residents who want to report crimes anonymously can contact www.lacrimestoppers.orgor call (800) 222-8477.
The 9 p.m. routine
“Most people in Santa Clarita don’t realize that at night, when they are asleep, is the perfect setting for crimes of opportunity,” Lewis said. “The people trying to victimize us are looking for unlocked doors, they are looking in cars for electronic devices, purses and other items they can steal and sell, either to provide for their (drug) habit or to buy things.”
Lewis said everyone in the SCV should practice the “9 p.m. Routine.”
1. Check around the outside of your home and put everything of value away, under lock and key.
2. Lock your cars.
3. Make sure your wallets and your purses are safely inside your homes.
4. Make sure all your electronic devices are safely inside your homes.
5. Lock all garages and all doors and windows to your home.
Goals
Lewis said his goals include “Empowering deputies and community to make a difference in the SCV together.”
The SCV Sheriff’s Station has 170 deputies to cover three shifts, seven days a week for a community of more than 290,000 residents. “It’s a difficult undertaking,” he said. “And we can’t do it without help from the community.” He noted that Santa Clarita is the ninth safest city in California for cities with a population of 50,000 and above and 49th safest city in the U.S., said Lewis.
Lewis doesn’t play golf and other than the occasional camping trip his main passions are his job and his family. “I love spending quality time with my family. That’s the most important thing. I also absolutely love my job,” he said. “You go into law enforcement hoping you can do what is best for the community, and what is best for society in general. That’s why I joined. I wanted to do something good for society.”
The Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station can be followed on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SantaClaritaValleySheriffsStation. To reach the station directly with non-emergency calls (661) 255-1121.
May 30: PPOA’s commitment to the legislative process stretches back nearly 40 years and the diligent work from our full-time lobbyists in the state capitol has positively impacted the rights and benefits of generations of PPOA members.
This week, PPOA received an update from our Legislative Representative John Lovell regarding the controversial “use of force” bill — AB392. Here is the summary:
Last week, Assembly Bill 392, Assembly Member Weber’s use of force bill, was amended to remove many of its features which were objectionable to law enforcement. As a result of those amendments, a number of law enforcement organizations have shifted their position on that bill from “oppose” to “neutral”, including PORAC, the California Police Chiefs Association, the Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs, the California State Sheriffs Association and the Los Angeles Police Protective League.
The language of the bill continues to direct officers to “use deadly force only when necessary in defense of human life.” The bill also directs officers, when possible, to use techniques to de-escalate the situation before using their firearm, the language “when possible” represents a change from the original version of AB 392, which explicitly required officers to exhaust nonlethal alternatives before resorting to deadly force.
As further amended, the bill no longer defines what would constitute a “necessary” use of force (previously, AB 392 defined “necessary” as being where there is “no reasonable alternative” to use of force). Instead, the bill now provides that the actions of both the officer and the suspect would be considered in court in determining whether a shooting is justified. Previously, the bill itself defined what constituted “necessary” circumstances and provided that the court would determine the actions of only the officer in determining whether a shooting was justified. Under the current version of the bill, the issue of whether the use of deadly force was “necessary” will now be left to the courts on a case-by-case basis.
Under the revised version of the bill, it is clear that officers are not required to retreat or back down in the face of a suspect’s resistance and that officers will continue to have their right to self-defense if they use “objectively reasonable force.”
Click here for more information about PPOA legislative advocacy, including a list of current significant bills: https://ppoa.com/news-and-events/advocacy/