Top Management Award

Jose Salcico
Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Department

Jose Salcido was born and raised in Santa Clara County. He graduated high school from St. Joseph’s Seminary in Cupertino in 1972 and holds a master’s degree in Public Administration. He has been married to his wife Mary Jane for 24 years and has two children, Declan and Conor.

Jose has worked for the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Department for over 27 years. From the very beginning, Jose has taken pride in his department and his peers, consistently going above and beyond the call of duty in whatever assignment or incident would face him.

Jose was one of four homicide detectives who handled and solved several high-profile murder cases. In an attempted murder case involving an undocumented worker, Jose helped put the suspect away with a life sentence. He then became an advocate for the victim of that case and assisted her in receiving permanent status in the United States. In 1996, Jose participated and successfully completed the Sheriff’s Leadership Development Academy and was elected by his peers in that program as class valedictorian.

In 2001, Jose was promoted to lieutenant and assigned to run the Records Division, which at the time was plagued with multiple grievances from the union. He immediately worked toward improving the working conditions of the employees. Despite the fact that Santa Clarita County found itself in perhaps the worst financial crisis in years, Jose managed to obtain an automated filing system, which drastically reduced employee injuries and made work easier for everyone.

Jose has also taken a leadership role as the president of the Deputy Sheriff’s Association, which was known for its contentious battles with the county. In two short years, Jose was able to turn that relationship around. In 2003, Jose was inspired to watch the Board of Supervisors push for a County holiday recognizing Cesar Chavez. The media had a frenzy, accusing the county of wasting $325,000 on another holiday.

During this same time, the Sheriff announced that there would be 80 layoffs of Deputy Sheriffs. Jose, desperate to prevent the layoffs, called the union together and helped convince them to offer a 0% raise in their first year of the upcoming contract. This avoided the layoffs of the 80 officers on the department as well as those in the Academy. Other county unions followed the DSA’s lead and ultimately saved the county millions of dollars, which in turn prevented further service cuts to the community.

Lieutenant Jose Salcido has repeatedly gone above and beyond the call of duty with his tireless dedication to improve the quality of life, not only for his deputies, but for the citizens of Santa Clara County as well. We are proud to honor Lieutenant Jose Salcido with our 2004 Top Management Award.

Top Management Award

Steve Rodig
Anaheim Police Department

Climbing through the ranks in law enforcement is always a challenge. Aside from drawing a larger paycheck, there are added responsibilities, and the duties change accordingly. By the time an individual reaches the rank of captain, they are often so busy with department policy, procedure monitoring and political maneuvering that they lose touch with the line officer’s needs and concerns. Anaheim P.D. is fortunate to have a captain that not only excels in his duties, but has been able to maintain a close, caring relationship with his officers.

Captain Steve Rodig has been referred to as “the single most important person to shape the careers of many of the people who make up the Anaheim Police Department.” Over the past four years, Captain Rodig has spearheaded a cancer fundraiser for Anaheim police personnel and their families to help them monetarily through their battles with this serious disease. He has handed out over $75,000 to more than 15 recipients and their families. He donates his family’s business for picnic fundraisers and secures door prizes, raffle items and food needed to host a daylong event. He has dramatically altered many people’s lives in a positive way.

Captain Rodig continually shows his support for the line troops. During Christmas, he has paid for entire Christmas dinners for on-duty personnel who are unable to be at home with their families. He has even made it a point, on occasion, to suit up in uniform and work a beat car himself to allow an officer to be at home with his children on this holiday. It is not uncommon to see Captain Rodig at other times working the streets, handling calls or even taking mundane police reports.

Captain Rodig believes in his people and goes out of his way to show his support. He ensures that his officers receive proper training, regardless of cost. Captain Rodig has at times stuck his neck out for his troops and has taken some hits for some of the personnel decisions that he had made for the betterment of the individual. This has endured him to the rank and file more than any other supervisor or manager. His presence as the Patrol Commander has in itself dramatically improved police morale in patrol. During his first year as Patrol Commander, personnel complaints dropped approximately 80 percent.

Captain Rodig’s outstanding commitment to his officers is to be commended, earning him the 2004 Top Management Award.