EXEMPLARY PERFORMANCE AWARD
Edward Bass
Police Officer, Patton State Hospital
Patton State Hospital Police Officer Edward Dale Bass Jr. was looking forward to getting home to Arrowbear and unwinding after a long day of training in San Diego on March 19. Plans were curtailed when the 27-year-old off-duty officer came upon a minivan flipped on its side on Highway 330 about 10:30 p.m. Bass’ oath “to protect and to serve” kicked in.
When Bass stopped his car and got out to help, he was confronted by a gun-wielding, suicidal man crying and mumbling about his family. Bass took cover, pulled his gun and ordered the unnamed man to drop his weapon. “The whole time he was telling me to shoot him, and I just did what I had to do to keep him safe,” Bass said.
Bass kept his calm and eventually persuaded the man to drop his gun. He instructed a passerby to call 911 and waited for backup to arrive. California Highway Patrol officers arrived, and soon thereafter took the man into custody without further incident.
On December 10, Bass was awarded the Governor’s State Employee Gold Medal of Valor for his heroic deed during a special ceremony at the Sacramento Convention Center. Those who received the awards and their immediate family members were also invited by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and first lady Maria Shriver to join them at the lighting of the Governor’s Christmas tree on the steps of the Capitol.
“Officers go their whole life without getting an award, and getting this after only three years on the job is just a real good, eye-opening experience,” said Bass.
The man Officer Bass helped apprehend had kidnapped his estranged wife and two children from Santa Fe Springs and was headed to Big Bear Lake when a violent confrontation between the man and his wife led to the crash.
“There was talk about divorce, and an altercation ensued,” Bass said. “The man brandished a gun and fired a shot at his wife but missed. The woman grabbed her oldest child and jumped from the moving vehicle. She and her child ran down an embankment and hid in the woods. The man lost control of the vehicle, and it flipped on its side. His 2-year-old child was in the van with him. The 2-year-old was later taken safely into police custody,” Bass said.
Bass attributes his experience at Patton in helping to diffuse the situation. “In just my normal, everyday life here at Patton, you learn to deal with people who aren’t in their right minds, and you try to persuade them to go the better way,” he said.
EXEMPLARY PERFORMANCE AWARD
Jon Jarrett
Officer, Irvine Police Department
On January 10, at 1405 hours, Officer Jarrett was patrolling southbound on Bake approaching Muirlands when he noticed a column of black and gray smoke coming from the area of the mobile home park on Muirlands in the City of Lake Forest. He immediately notified dispatch, requesting to have OCSD and OCFA respond. Dispatch had not received any prior reports of a fire at that location.
Upon his arrival, he found the front of a mobile home engulfed in flames. Subjects outside the location advised him that an elderly, disabled female was trapped inside. Officer Jarrett ran to the rear of the home and observed two citizens attempting to assist a disabled woman, whose wheelchair was stuck inside the laundry room between the washer/dryer and the wall.
Officer Jarrett entered the smoke-filled residence. He found it extremely difficult to breathe and was unable to see more than a distance of two to three feet. He bent over to assist the woman and observed beneath the layer of smoke that flames were quickly burning the front wall and furniture in the next room. At this time, the two citizens made attempts to control the fire with a fire extinguisher and rescue the owner’s dog.
When Officer Jarrett finally reached the doorway to exit the residence, he noticed a couple walking by. The male quickly offered his assistance to Officer Jarrett in carrying the victim in her wheelchair out of her home and down the stairs to safety.
EXEMPLARY PERFORMANCE AWARD
Kenneth F. Ehrman
Investigator, California Department of Motor Vehicles
The Association of Motor Vehicle Investigators of California (AMVIC) nominates Investigator Kenneth F. Ehrman for the Exemplary Performance Award. Investigator Ehrman is employed as an Investigator for the California Department of Motor Vehicles’ Investigations Division and is assigned to the Ventura County Auto Theft Task Force (VENCATT).
Beginning in January 2009, VENCATT conducted an undercover storefront operation in Ventura County dubbed “Operation Sudden Impact.” Investigator Ehrman worked as an undercover officer, infiltrating the world of local auto thieves for the first eight months of this operation, until officer safety issues required him to be stepped out. During his time undercover, Ehrman developed relationships and brokered deals meeting with car thieves and drug dealers. He conducted numerous transactions arranging to purchase stolen vehicles and narcotics in various locations within Ventura County. Ehrman identified multiple suspects and successfully introduced additional undercover officers into the operation.
As the operation expanded, additional officers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, ATF and Secret Service were added to the core team members, which were from the CHP; DMV Investigations; Department of Insurance; and local, city and county agencies within Ventura County. During the course of the I5-month operation, Ehrman worked as an undercover officer, surveillance team member, cover team member and case agent. On April 20 to 22, Operation Sudden Impact was concluded with three days of undercover operations, search warrants, arrest warrants and patrol stops utilizing more than 250 law enforcement personnel from federal, state, county and city agencies within Ventura County.
When Operation Sudden Impact was unveiled at the press conference on April 22, 2010, VENCATT had already made 87 arrests and recovered 92 stolen vehicles worth approximately $900,000. Sixty-five firearms were recovered, along with 938 grams of crystal methamphetamine, 203 grams of heroin, 95 grams of cocaine, 27 grams of marijuana and $14,000 in counterfeit money. The estimated street value of the drugs was $100,000. Numerous commercial and residential burglary cases were solved as a result of the operation; 11 of the 87 suspects arrested will be prosecuted on federal charges, and two will face life in prison. VENCATT was credited by Oxnard Police Department Assistant Chief Jason Benites for a dramatic drop in auto theft in the City of Oxnard. At the time this nomination is being submitted, Investigator Ehrman and VENCATT are still actively serving search and arrest warrants as a result of Operation Sudden Impact and will continue until the remaining suspects are located. Investigator Ehrman continues to serve in VENCATT and is the Vice President of AMVIC, as well as the Secretary of the California Statewide Law Enforcement Association.
EXEMPLARY PERFORMANCE AWARD
Wade Walsvick
Investigator, Orange County Sheriff’s Department
Orange County Sheriff’s Department Investigator Wade Walsvick is a member of the Special Victims Detail in the Criminal Investigations Bureau. He is currently assigned to the Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement (SAFE) federal Task Force. In June 2008, he became the lead investigator in a multi-state, multi-defendant case involving the sexual assault of children and the possession and production of child pornography. The investigation was named “Operation Minotaur.”
Working on a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Investigator Walsvick contacted a suspect in Lake Forest regarding possible online and text message communications with a 13-year-old boy in Arizona. Using exceptional interviewing techniques and investigative skills, Investigator Walsvick was able to take this initial interview, commonly known as a “knock and talk,” and connect the suspect to a nationwide group of active and predatory pedophiles. Over the next several months, Investigator Walsvick and his task force partners discovered, identified and contacted numerous serial abusers. To date, there have been 11 arrests in seven different states, and 18 children have been identified or rescued from ongoing abuse. Yet the scope of this investigation is still to be determined. New cases continue to spin off from Investigator Walsvick’s original interview and ensuing investigation, and even more children will potentially be saved from abuse or exploitation.
Investigator Walsvick has drawn praise from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Department of Justice. He received an award from the United States Attorney’s Office. Investigator Walsvick has protected countless young lives and brought extremely positive recognition to the Sheriff’s Department through his extraordinary performance in this noteworthy and important case.
Wade was born in the City of Chico in Northern California, but grew up down south in Encinitas, California. He graduated from San Dieguito High School in 1983 and enrolled at San Diego State University. Wade graduated in 1987 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice Administration.
Wade joined the Sheriff’s Department in 1988 as a Deputy Sheriff and graduated from Basic Academy Class #89. He was assigned to the Theo Lacy Facility and was selected to join the SWAT Team while still at the jail. Wade was named Corrections Deputy of the Year in 1992. He earned his Master of Arts Degree in Public Administration from California State University, Long Beach, in 1994. Wade transferred to North Operations in 1994, and worked patrol in the unincorporated areas of North Orange County.
Wade was promoted to Investigator in 1997 and was assigned to Sex Crimes working on the newly formed SONAR Unit, now known as the Special Victims Detail. He transferred briefly to Homicide in 2006, before being assigned in 2007 to the Orange County FBI SAFE Team Task Force, investigating computer-aided crimes against children within Orange County.
Wade enjoys spending his spare time with Jennifer, his wife of two years, and his kids. He has two older children, Amanda, age 20, and Christopher, age 18, plus 1-year-old twins Ava and Luke. He likes cooking and participating in his one escape, playing competitive basketball. Wade is thankful to have a job that is meaningful and is something he really enjoys doing.
EXEMPLARY PERFORMANCE AWARD
Santa Ana Police Department Gang Detail
Lorenzo Carrillo, Detective Sergeant
Ron Castillo, Detective Corporal
Mauricio Estrada, Detective Corporal
Clint Achziger, Detective
Roland Andrade, Detective
Justo Capacete, Detective
Caesar Flores, Detective
Jason Garcia, Detective
Mitch Graves, Detective
Jeff Launi, Detective
David Lima, Detective
Michelle Macchiarolli, Detective
Gus Moroyoqui, Detective
Patricia Navarro, Detective
Abel Oropeza, Detective
Dan Park, Detective
Eric Rivas, Detective
Tyler Salo, Detective
The City of Santa Ana, which is the seat of Orange County, is deeply rooted in Hispanic gangs. Some of the neighborhoods date back to the ’40s, during the time of the “Zoot Suiter.” These neighbors banded together for protection against other neighborhoods, subsequently evolving into the violent gangs we see today. With an estimated population of over 355,000 citizens, Santa Ana is home to 96 separate gangs within a city slightly larger than 27 square miles. Within those 96 gangs are over 5,000 active gang members. These numbers are surprisingly high for one city when you consider there are a total of 308 gangs in the County of Orange and a total of 17,000 active gang members in the county. Santa Ana is called home by one-third of the county’s gangs and one-third of the total number of gang members in the county.
In 1994, the City of Santa Ana implemented an innovative, investigative approach to address Santa Ana’s gang problem. The Street Terrorist Offender Program (STOP) was created to help combat the increase in gang violence in the City of Santa Ana. The mission of the Street Terrorism Offender Program is to reduce gang-related crime within the City of Santa Ana using a focused, well-coordinated, multi-agency gang violence suppression approach. This is accomplished utilizing a core team consisting of Santa Ana gang suppression detectives, three deputy district attorneys, three district attorney investigators and Orange County probation officers. Other federal, state and local agencies participate on a regular basis. The objectives of STOP include:
• Identifying, targeting and apprehending hardcore gang members
• Enhancing prosecution and sentencing of active and hardcore gang members
• Providing high-intensity supervision of gang members and associates on probation
• Enhancing the sharing of intelligence information between agencies
• Implementing proven gang suppression strategies and developing innovative, new approaches
Over the years, the Santa Ana Police Department has perfected this tool, creating the Street Terrorist Offender Program II, which receives state-funded grants. This team, as well as the many other gang detectives who have been assigned to the Gang Detail, has contributed to the drastic reduction of gang violence over the years. During the years when this program was but a mere idea on paper, the City of Santa Ana’s gang homicide rate more than quadrupled during a four-year period.
Today, with budget cuts reducing the number of support personnel assigned to the Gang Unit and the elimination of overtime, one would suspect the Gang Unit would lose ground in the war on gang violence. On the contrary, during 2009, the STOP teams accomplished the following:
• Made 346 arrests, including five for murder, 10 for attempted murder/assault with deadly weapons, eight for robbery, four for burglary/stolen property and 50 for narcotics violations
• Confiscated 101 firearms
• Served 450 gang notices (186)
• Conducted 1,301 follow-up gang investigations
• Conducted 495 probation checks
• Spent over 3,101 hours preparing for and testifying in court as expert witnesses on criminal street gang cases
• Supported the Gang Homicide Unit
This team has performed as a well-oiled machine and has not allowed gang violence to regain a foothold in the City of Santa Ana during a time when other law enforcement agencies are reducing their personnel, not to mention the early release of convicted felons. The entire team has displayed their dedication, evident by the tremendous amount of work performed throughout 2009. The high level of quality work has improved the quality of life of Santa Ana citizens. They are all deserving of the Golden Badge Exemplary Performance Award.
