Thursday was a day of appreciation for the deputies of the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station and scores of supporters gathered at the Sheriff’s Station for some pizza, a cold drink and a game of cornhole.
Between a bites of lunch, people said, “Thank you” to the deputies for protecting the SCV and keeping it safe.
Turning out to show his appreciation was the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department’s top cop, Sheriff Jim McDonnell.
“I want to thank the city for putting together this lunch,” he told The Signal.
“The deputies go out there every day and work together to provide us with a quality of life in our community,” McDonnell said. “The dramatic reduction in crime is a testament to the proactive work being done by them every day.”
“Our relationship and our partnership with the community is an example of what can be done when police and community work together on issues of public safety,” McDonnell said.
According to city stats, the SCV Sheriff’s Station brought about a 31.6 percent drop in the number of larceny thefts and a 23.4 percent reduction in grand theft auto cases.
“Since the passage of Prop. 47, Prop. 57 and A.B. 109 and the early release program, crime has spiked throughout California, and Santa Clarita is not immune,” Councilman Cameron Smyth said.
“What sets our community apart is how we respond to it,” Smyth said. “Under the leadership of Capt. (Robert) Lewis, his team continues to rise to the challenge and keep making Santa Clarita one of the safest cities in the country.”
Capt. Lewis said he was proud of his team’s accomplishments, and added, “They need to be proud of themselves.”
City of Santa Clarita officials held the special luncheon in conjunction with the SCV Sheriff’s Station to recognize the station’s success in having reduced the amount of Part 1 crimes in the Santa Clarita Valley by more than 22 percent year-over-year, Carrie Lujan, spokeswoman for the city of Santa Clarita wrote in a news release promoting the event.
Part 1 crimes, as defined by the LASD, include: criminal homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny theft, grand theft auto and arson.
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