EMPLOYEE
AWARDS

Outstanding Officers and Professional Staff Members

Employee Recognition

The Salinas Police Department is very proud of its employees and all of their accomplishments. Below please find a list of the personnel who, through the years, received recognition for various reasons. Awards, primarily highlighting Officer of the Year, Professional Staff of the Year, and Investigator of the Year are categorized by dates, and most have a letter of recognition available to read which summarizes the employees’ actions.

Employee Awards

2024 – Awards

Detective Robert Miller

2024 Detective of the Year

Nomination Letter for Det. Miller

The Salinas Police Department is proud to announce that Detective Robert Miller has been named Detective of the Year for 2024.

Since joining the Investigations Unit in February 2018 and later being selected for the Robbery/Homicide Unit in December 2021, Detective Miller has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to excellence.

Detective Miller’s ability to lead complex homicide investigations has resulted in numerous successful arrests and prosecutions. His exceptional communication skills have secured cooperation from even the most uncooperative witnesses, leading to significant confessions from violent offenders. Detective Miller’s work ethic and dedication are evident through his outstanding case clearances and commendable teamwork.

One of his notable achievements includes resolving four homicide cases as the lead detective in 2023, all resulting in arrests. In 2024, he continued his impressive track record by identifying and arresting suspects in two out of three assigned homicide cases, with the third suspect having an outstanding arrest warrant. Additionally, his tireless efforts in a gang-related homicide investigation on N. Pearl St in July 2024, led to the identification and arrest of all involved suspects.

Detective Miller’s contributions extend beyond his role in the Robbery/Homicide Unit. He has also been instrumental in community projects, such as the Acosta Plaza Project, aimed at reducing gang violence and improving community safety. His involvement in several collateral duties, including SWAT, Defensive Tactics, and Taser Instruction, highlights his versatility and dedication to the department.

Detective Robert Miller’s exemplary performance and unwavering commitment make him a deserving recipient of the Detective of the Year award. His efforts not only enhance the safety of our community but also set a high standard for his colleagues to follow.

Officer Brianna Wilcox

2024 Officer of the Year

Nomination Letter for Officer Wilcox

The Salinas Police Department is thrilled to announce that Officer Brianna Wilcox has been named Officer of the Year for 2024.

Though Brianna has only been with Salinas PD for two years, she has already demonstrated exceptional determination, sound decision-making, and a strong work ethic that consistently lead to high-quality investigations and arrests.

Officer Wilcox’s proactive approach places her at the top among patrol-level statistics, and she frequently volunteers to assist various task forces and detectives on her days off. Her commitment to resolving cases is evident in her thorough investigations, whether dealing with gang and narcotic activities or more straightforward crimes.

This year alone, Officer Wilcox authored three residential search warrants and eight additional search warrants for cell phones and social media accounts, showcasing her dedication to thorough and impactful investigations. She has furthered her professional growth by completing various training programs, including Introduction to Search and Seizure for Patrol, Marijuana Vehicle Search and Seizure, and attending the Monterey County Violent Crime Symposium.

Among her many noteworthy accomplishments, Officer Wilcox has played a pivotal role in successfully investigating and apprehending individuals involved in serious crimes. Some of her remarkable work includes the investigation of gang members in possession of firearms, narcotics traffickers, and suspects making threats against officers. Her dedication and keen investigative skills have led to the resolution of several significant cases.

One such case involved a past-tense burglary investigation completed in August. Despite the complexity and time-consuming nature of the investigation, Officer Wilcox devoted herself to bringing the case to a successful conclusion. Her meticulous follow-up included visiting multiple stores where a stolen credit card was used, reviewing hours of surveillance footage, and utilizing technology to identify the suspect vehicle. This dedication resulted in the arrest of the suspects and the recovery of the victim’s stolen property.

Officer Wilcox’s professionalism, integrity, and dedication to public service make her an invaluable member of the Salinas Police Department and the community. Her extraordinary work and positive impact are truly worthy of recognition. Her efforts not only enhance the safety of our community but also set a high standard for her colleagues to follow.

In addition to her patrol duties, Officer Wilcox has assisted detectives in complex cases, demonstrating her versatility and commitment to teamwork. Her contributions to these investigations have been instrumental in bringing dangerous individuals to justice and ensuring the safety of the community.

Officer Wilcox, thank you for your extraordinary work and the positive impact you have made. Congratulations on a truly outstanding year and being named Officer of the Year!

Martha Guizar

2024 Professional Staff of the Year

Nomination Letter for Martha Guizar

Martha Guizar has been honored with the prestigious title of Professional Staff of the Year for 2024.

Since joining the Salinas Police Department in 2016, Martha’s dedication and hard work have played a pivotal role in our department’s success. Her extensive experience, particularly from her previous role at the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office, has equipped her with the knowledge and skills necessary for excellence in her current position.

Martha’s professionalism, efficiency, and strong work ethic are evident in all her responsibilities. Her organizational abilities, attention to detail, and skills have consistently contributed to the smooth administrative operations of our department. Beyond her administrative duties, Martha’s willingness to go the extra mile to support her colleagues and the organization is truly commendable.

She readily volunteers for special events, such as the annual retiree BBQ/firearms qualification, the Police Cadet Academy, and all other SPD-sponsored events, enhancing the department’s reputation and fostering a strong sense of community both within and outside the workplace.

In addition to her administrative duties, Martha takes on various other significant collateral responsibilities within the department. She plays a crucial role as a tactical dispatcher for the Hostage Negotiation Team, assisting the team in scribing and researching essential information. Furthermore, she serves as a dedicated mentor for police cadets, providing guidance and support as they navigate their training and early careers. Martha also fulfills the vital role of the department’s notary public, ensuring that important documents are properly authenticated and legally binding. Moreover, she is the clerk for the Police Community Advisory Committee (PCAC) at monthly public meetings, where she plays an integral part in facilitating communication and collaboration between law enforcement and the community.

Martha always comes to work with a positive attitude and is eager to assist others, demonstrating her enthusiasm and commitment to our department’s success. Her outstanding performance and dedication to serving the Salinas Police Department make her a truly deserving recipient of the Professional Staff of the Year award.

Please join us in celebrating Martha’s well-deserved recognition. We are incredibly proud of her achievements and grateful for her continued dedication. Thank you, Martha, for being an outstanding member of our team!

2023 – Awards

Officer Oscar Solis

2023 Officer of the Year

Nomination Letter for Oscar Solis

Oscar Solis exemplifies what a police officer should be and is a benchmark for a senior police officer at the Salinas Police Department. He has an excellent attitude, brings calm to chaotic situations, and genuinely cares about our community.

One of Officer Solis’ strongest attributes is his ability to be a team player. He has developed tight-knit working relationships with his partners; all of whom know they can rely on him.

Officer Solis’ dedication to the future of the Salinas Police Department and Salinas community is personified by his efforts in the Field Training Program, Hostage Negotiation Team, and Officer Safety Training cadre.

Although Officer Solis is a relatively new Field Training Officer, having been selected in 2022, we have witnessed his unwavering dedication to trainees. It is not uncommon to see him several hours after shift and side-by-side with his trainee because they took a call his trainee needed. This past year alone, Oscar spent 3 months with 3 different trainees, and when he did not have an assigned trainee, he regularly filled in when other FTOs were unavailable.

As a member of the Hostage Negotiation Team (HNT), Ocsar‘s outstanding skills as a negotiator have been invaluable on patrol, and he has assisted SWAT and Investigations many times. As a member of the Officer Safety Training cadre, he is the ideal example for new officers during Orientation Trainings and experienced officers during Advanced Officer Trainings. Congratulations, Officer Solis! You deserve this recognition and award!

Officer Solis relies on 13 years of law enforcement experience to guide his responses and decisions, often resulting in high-quality investigations. He is recognized as a leader, within the patrol ranks and by members of the community. Officer Solis does not shy away from hard work and gives the same time and attention to a simple past-tense theft as he does an in-progress crime or a crime against persons.

Claudia Qualtire

2023 Professional Staff of the Year

About Claudia Qualtire

Community Service Aid (CSA) Claudia Qualtire was named the 2023 Professional Civilian of the Year.

Claudia has worked at the Salinas Police Department since 2017 when she was hired as a Word Processor. In July of 2022, the position of Word Processor was eliminated, and Claudia was reclassified as a Community Service Aide. As a CSA Claudia’s primary assignment is at the police department’s front counter where her duties include interacting with the public and taking no suspect police reports, online, in-person and by phone. Claudia made the transition from Word Processing to CSA smoothly and caught on quickly. Due to personnel shortages Claudia was asked if she would be able to train new Community Service Officers at the front desk. Taking into consideration her limited experience in the position, without hesitation Claudia accepted the request. Claudia always has a positive attitude and takes her role as a representative of the Salinas Police Department at the front desk seriously. She provides customer service at its highest level and takes on any task assigned to her. Even when her job was reclassified from a position, she was comfortable with to one completely foreign to her, she met the challenge head on.

Commander Luis Bravo said in her nomination letter, “Claudia arrives at work with a positive attitude and is always cheerful. I have personally seen her interact with citizens at the front desk, and she is very professional, compassionate, and courteous. She actively seeks out opportunities to assist others and goes above and beyond what is expected of her.”

And Community Service Officer Maria Morales added, “Claudia treats everyone with respect and professionalism. She is always willing to assist others as needed at the front desk and is frequently able to calm down frustrated customers.”

Congratulations, Claudia!

Evan Adams

2023 Investigator of the Year

About Evan Adams

Officer Evan Adams was named the 2023 Monterey County Peace Officers Association Officer of the Year.

Officer Adams was nominated because he consistently performs his job one hundred percent, and his attitude and commitment as a member of the Violence Suppression Task Force (VSTF) is always exemplary. He is known as one of the “go to” officers, and with his leadership and incredible skills, it makes VSTF the elite and successful unit that it is.

Officer Adams wrote over 80 search warrants in 2023. The authorization and service of these search warrants resulted in the seizure of sixty (60) firearms, eight

hundred (800) M30 fentanyl pills, numerous pounds of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and approximately $42,000 in asset forfeiture. These search warrants have been crucial in identifying violent gang members and their illicit operations.

Officer Adams has been the case agent on several high-profile arrests during numerous special operations, such as a large-scale federal investigation into one of Salinas’ most violent gangs, a take-down of a brothel run by a Mexican Cartel in Salinas, and a large-scale Firearms Trafficking Organization (FTO). He also assisted the Investigations Unit with the identification and arrest of three homicide suspects.

The list of Evan’s cases and accomplishments this year will continue, and there is no doubt that Evan’s work, along with the entire VSTF unit, has had a direct impact in the reduction in violence in Monterey County and the overall well-being of our citizens.

Officer Adams is a pleasure to supervise and is nothing short of a bulldog when it comes to his resolve in getting guns, gang members, and drugs off the streets to make our community safer. His effort and determination never faulters and he always maintain a positive outlook, which is an example to his fellow officers. He is the epitome of “Investigator of the Year” and is well deserving of this title. Congratulations, Officer Adams!

2022 – Awards

Tonya Erickson

2022 Professional of the Year

Letter of Support for Tonya Erickson

Tonya Erickson was named the 2022 Professional Staff of the Year. As the Police Services Administrator, Tonya provides valuable budget input based on her past experiences, current situations, and future trends.

Tonya is responsible for writing city council reports and gives vital budget considerations to allocating funds to obtain critical equipment. This ensures that the men and women of the police department have the tools necessary to

effectively and safely do their jobs and provide the best police service to the community.

Tonya reviews all purchases and oversees accounts payable to ensure vendors are paid in a timely manner. This is critical to ensure a financially responsible business relationship with the vendors we deal with. In addition, she ensures that all expenditures are in the best interest of the Salinas Police Department. She works closely with the Fleet Department and the Violence Suppression Task Force in ensuring that we obtain the necessary equipment, vehicles, and items needed for us to be successful.

Tonya has been an essential employee of the Salinas Police Department. She has gone out of her way to make herself accessible and is easy to get a hold of and responds promptly, even after hours. Tonya is consistent, reliable, and extremely proficient in carrying out her responsibilities and is a valuable asset. She came to the department in 2019, and her overall duties have expanded every year since because she is capable of doing the work of two or three people at a time! Her work and dedication are valued by the Department.

Officer Anthony Garcia

2022 Officer of the Year

Letter of Support for Officer Garcia

Officer Anthony Garcia is, above all else, a team player. He has developed tight-knit working relationships with his partners who know they can rely on him and on whom he relies. Anthony is a leader who routinely coordinates with his partners to surveil wanted subjects, set up perimeters and yard-to-yard searches, and complete other tasks necessary to safely make arrests.

Officer Garcia is thorough in his investigations and constantly seeks new challenges as a canine handler.

Officer Garcia is dedicated to the department and community. Throughout the year, he has done several K9 presentations at local schools. He also attended the autism awareness event where the community was able to interact with officers outside of the capacity of law enforcement. Officer Garcia recently attended the annual Children’s Shopping Tour at Northridge Mall, where he assisted with taking children who are less fortunate Christmas shopping.

Officer Garcia has done amazing work this past year and we know that will continue. He is dedicated, dependable, reliable, and an asset – one of the best in the department. Officer Garcia loves his job, works hard, and constantly tries to improve his performance and the performance of his peers. He is kind, compassionate, determined, strives for excellence, and is dedicated to the Salinas Police Department and his peers. These qualities and his strong work ethic have established him as one of the best.

Detective Alex Zamora

2022 Investigator of the Year

Letter of Support for Det. Zamora

Detective Alex Zamora has been in the Investigations Division since May 2020. In December 2021, he was selected for the Robbery/Homicide Unit. The selection into this unit resulted from Alex’s proven track record for finding ways to prove his cases, leading to successful arrests and subsequent prosecutions. Teamwork is complex in homicide investigations and critical to outcomes. He is a consummate team player, always willing to assist other detectives with their cases while effectively managing his own caseload.

Alex and his partners have successfully solved numerous homicides this past year. The hard work and dedication of the unit resulted in an 92.3% homicide solve rate for 2022. Many of these cases initially had little to no leads; however, Alex and his partners generated leads through their work ethic, teamwork, and sheer determination.

Alex has set himself apart with his unwavering, determined and relentless investigative approach to solving his cases. The examples listed above are a small representation of the numerous cases demonstrating Alex’s dedication and passion for solving crimes, taking perpetrators of violence off the streets, and bringing justice for victims and their families.

Alex is truly a great representative for the Salinas Police Department and positive influence in the Investigations Division with a strong work ethic and a results-driven focus. His exemplary performance during this year more than qualifies him to receive this award.

Officer Victor Cortina

Mothers Against Drunk Driving Award

Details of MAAD Award

Officer Victor Cortina was honored by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) for his exemplary efforts in driving under the influence (DUI) enforcement. In 2022, Officer Cortina was recognized for the 34 DUI arrests he made in 2021. Each DUI arrest can be lifesaving. His efforts are making an impact in reducing alcohol-related deaths and injuries at the hands of impaired drivers. The community appreciates his outstanding work.

2021 Police Duty Awards

This year’s award recipients were selected based on their outstanding service during Operation Black Hawk, a 4-5 month investigation into NorCal Transportation, who was suspected of operating a drug trafficking organization (DTO) with the specific intent to transport and distribute narcotics between Yuma, AZ and Salinas, CA. During the investigation, it was determined that NorCal Transportation was directly connected to the Sinaloa Cartel and transporting narcotics in conjunction with Norteno gang leaders:

Detective Robert Miller
Special Agent Keith Holt | Homeland Security Investigations (HSI)
Special Agent Lance Maniscalco, | Homeland Security Investigations (HSI)
Sergeant Gerardo Magana, VSTF
Officer Ian Kile, VSTF
Officer Chris Neff, VSTF
Officer Evan Adams, VSTF
Officer Zach Dunagan, VSTF

All of the above officers were also nominated to receive the Award of Merit from the Monterey County Peace Officer Association (MCPOA).

Sergeant Gerardo Magana

Los Padres Elementary School

Sgt. Magana - 2 Decades of Volunteer Service

Police Sergeant Gerardo Magana, a graduate of Los Padres Elementary, continues to go above and beyond in building a strong relationship with parents and students. He regularly visits with the parents of the school, and with the help of LP parent coordinator Ali Chavez, he speaks about community issues and answers their questions. The school thanks Sgt. Magana for being a force for good at Los Padres and in the city.

2021 – Awards

Officer Guadalupe Rodriguez Lupe

2021 Officer of the Year

Letter of Support for Rodriguez Lupe

Officer Guadalupe Rodriguez Lupe is the epitome of service, pride, and dedication. She possesses a solid work ethic, always gives 100%, and conducts thorough investigations. In 2021, she wrote 131 reports and made 30 arrests for crimes related to quality-of-life issues, controlled substances, and sex crimes. She treats all individuals with respect and dignity, recognizing the value of humanizing the image society holds of law enforcement personnel by interacting with the public outside of calls for service.

Michele Houston, VSTF Support Personnel

2021 Professional of the Year

Letter of Support for Michele Houston

Michele Houston has been an essential part of VSTF as support personnel. Effective Intelligence is crucial to the Violence Suppression Task Force’s mission and ability to combat criminal groups. Michele Houston’s exemplary technical and analytical work permits VSTF to establish a proactive response to crime. The effective intelligence Michele provides enables VSTF to identify and understand criminals operating in Salinas and throughout Monterey County. Michele is extremely knowledgeable and always has a positive attitude.

Detective Byron Gansen

2021 Officer of the Year

Award Letter for Detective Byron Gansen

Detective Byron Gansen received the California Police Officer Association (CPOA) Award of Distinction on Sept. 22, 2021 in San Diego.

On October 22, 2020, a federal grand jury indicted 6 Salinas street gang members, charging them with racketeering, murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and additional firearms and gang-related crimes. The federal indictments were the culmination of a complex 3-year investigation initiated and investigated by Detective Byron Gansen.

Detective Gansen’s investigation revealed that a violent group of Norteno street gang members coordinated and executed missions to hunt and kill rival Sureno street gang members. When they could not find Sureno gang members, they targeted Latino males, often migrant agriculture Workers. This group was known among themselves as the “Murder Squad.” They orchestrated seven shootings over the course of two years, killing eight people and injuring several others in 2017-2018. Seven of the eight homicide victims had no known gang affiliation. They were murdered in cold blood for no other reason than they were vulnerable and met the suspects’ criteria for execution. The remorseless suspects celebrated their murders and operated in a culture where the more “bodies” accumulated, the higher status conferred on that member.

This operation was without question one of the most consequential investigations in the history of the Salinas Police Department. Detective Gansen committed countless hours to surveillance, interviews, and unglamorous detective work.

Officer Tyler Provost
Jonathan Tuiolosega

Mothers Against Drunk Driving Award

Press Release Excerpt for Award from Organization, MADD.

Officers Tyler Provost and Jonathan Tuiolosega were honored by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MAAD) for their exemplary efforts in driving under the influence (DUI) enforcement. Each arrest can be life-saving, and we appreciate their outstanding work.

Officer Gabriel Carvey

Officer of the Year

Public Safety Facilities Worker Ignacio Lopez

Employee of the Year

2020 Outstanding Police Duty Recipients

Sergeant Stephen Craig
Sergeant Dale Fors
Detective Justin Heckman
Officer Joseph Kinney
Officer Alejandro Magana
Detective John McNeil
Officer Cameron Mitchell
Officer Mario Reyes
Detective Ruben Sanchez

2019 – Awards

Officer Christopher Neff

Officer of the Year

Fabian Aquino-Hernández

Community Service Officer of the Year

2019 Outstanding Police Duty Recipients

Forensic Specialist II Melanie Coffin
Officer Oscar Dydasco
Criminalist Patrick Haney
Detective John Richardson

2018 – Awards

Officer David Poulin

Officer of the Quarter

2017 – Awards

Our Mission and Values

The members of the Salinas Police Department operate under the philosophy of Community-Oriented Policing in an effort to enhance the quality of life in the City. We are very proud of the many programs and partnerships, which have been developed within the Salinas Police Department.

Organizational Value Statement

The Salinas Police Department exists to serve the community. We do this by protecting life and property, preventing crime, enforcing the law, and by maintaining order for all citizens. We consider service to our community to be our primary responsibility. We will always strive to professionally and enthusiastically respond to the community’s needs.

Accountability

We are accountable to each other and to the residents we serve; they are the source of our authority. We communicate openly and honestly among ourselves and with the community. We understand the importance of community values and expectations. We acknowledge our mistakes and are open to constructive criticism. We manage our resources effectively. We thoroughly investigate complaints against our employees.

Cooperation

We believe that cooperation and teamwork will enable us to combine our diverse backgrounds, skills, and styles to achieve common goals. We work as a team. We understand our role in achieving department and community goals and objectives.

We share our responsibility to serve the citizens of Salinas with many other agencies and organizations. We strive to understand those who disagree with us. We seek the help and cooperation of others. We seek to resolve conflicts. We rely on community support and involvement. We work toward realistic, mutually agreed upon goals.

Human Life

We value human life and dignity above all else. We give first priority to situations which threaten life. We use force only when necessary. We treat all people with courtesy and respect. We are compassionate and caring.

Problem Solving

We are most efficient when we help identify and solve community problems. We work to anticipate and prevent problems. We give high priority to preventing crime and helping citizens feel safe.

We actively seek opinions and ideas from others. We plan, analyze, and evaluate. We recognize that crime is a community problem. We listen to problems and complaints with empathy and sensitivity. We seek innovative solutions.

Integrity

We believe integrity is the basis for community trust. We are honest and truthful. We are consistent in our beliefs and actions. We hold ourselves to high standards of moral and ethical conduct. We are role models for the community.

Ourselves

We are capable, caring people who are doing important and satisfying work for the citizens of Salinas. We respect, trust, support, and care about each other. We enjoy our work and take pride in our accomplishments.

We are disciplined and reliable. We keep our perspective and sense of humor. We balance our professional and personal lives. We consult the people who will be affected by our decisions. We have a positive, “can do” attitude. We cultivate our best characteristics: initiative, enthusiasm, creativity, patience, competence, judgment, compassion, and understanding.

The Law & Constitution

We believe in the principles of our constitution. We recognize the authority of Federal, State, and local laws. We respect and protect the rights of all citizens. We treat all persons fairly and without favoritism. We are knowledgeable of the law. We enforce the law. We obey the law.

Excellence

We strive for personal and professional excellence. We do our best. We have a vision for the future. We seek adequate resources: staffing, facilities, equipment, training, salaries, and benefits. We recruit and hire the best people. We train and develop our employees to their highest potential. We are committed to fair and equitable personnel practices. We provide organizational mobility. We recognize and reward good performance. We support reasonable risk taking and are tolerant of honest mistakes. We are receptive to new ideas and to change. We lead by example.

Our Values are Characteristics and Qualities of Worth

They are non-negotiable. We hold our values constantly before us; to teach and remind both our department and the community, of our ideals. In fulfilling our mission, we need the support of our citizens, elected representatives, and city officials in order to provide the quality of service our values commit us to provide.

We, the members of the Salinas Police Department, value accountability, cooperation, human life, problem solving, integrity, ourselves, the law and the Constitution, and excellence.

Our Approach

We are proud to be at the forefront of modern policing, which focuses not just on law enforcement, but on avoiding the need for law enforcement.

For us, that includes community-oriented policing, Legitimacy and Procedural Justice, and our work with the Community Alliance for Safety and Peace, all of which we describe in the sections below.

Community-Oriented Policing: the “PIER” Strategy

In partnership with the Community Alliance for Safety and Peace (CASP), the City of Salinas is recognized nationally as a leader in reducing crime by making enforcement part of a bigger, more integrated strategy of Prevention, Intervention, Enforcement and Re-entry services (PIER). This approach is based on the understanding that “you can’t arrest your way out of the problem,” but must also address the sources of violence, such as poverty, lack of opportunity, or the pain and anger that can result from a history of racial or ethnic disparities.

Prevention means working with families to help young children get a healthy, happy start in life. This is by far one of the most effective ways to make sure they never get in trouble as teenagers or adults.

Intervention means reaching young people who might be drawn towards a violent lifestyle, and offering them better alternatives, like counseling, mentoring, after school programs, recreation centers, sports or job training.

Enforcement is what we do when we have to — protect people from those who have become a threat. Here, we focus on using data to target enforcement on the most dangerous people. We no longer do broad-based “sweeps,” which can undermine trust when people have unnecessary encounters with the police — and we don’t go after people because of their immigration status.

Re-entry services are provided to people who are returning to society from prison. Instead of just being dumped back into their old neighborhood with few options, the goal is to help them make a fresh start.

By following this integrated strategy, other cities have shown that violence can be reduced significantly. For example, San Jose went from being one of the most dangerous big cities in America to one of the safest.

By demonstrating both the seriousness of its gang violence problem and the credibility of its response, Salinas was invited to be one of the founding members of President Obama’s National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention. In 2012, former Chief Kelly McMillin was recognized by the White House as a Champion of Change for his work to prevent youth violence through community-oriented policing, and the Department received the James Q. Wilson Award for Excellence in Community Policing in 2019.

An important part of community-oriented policing is recruiting officers who reflect the community they protect. We actively seek recruits from Salinas and the surrounding area and encourage those with skills in the languages and cultures that make up our community.

Legitimacy and Procedural Justice

We were the first police department in California to train all our sworn officers in Legitimacy and Procedural Justice (LPJ), a model developed at Yale Law School which holds that true authority comes not from the use or fear of force but from the trust of the community. That trust is often lacking in minority communities, many of which have long histories of experiencing excessive or unfair policing — the civil rights struggles of the 60’s and 70’s were not that long ago, and while our country has made a lot of progress since then, those struggles are not over.

LPJ is based on four principles:

Giving others a Voice (Listening)
Neutrality in decision making
Respectful treatment
Trustworthiness.

As described in a KSBW-TV story, LPJ “recognizes that people want to feel heard, feel respected and want to know their police are neutral and trustworthy.” When people feel that way, they’re more likely to comply with the law, because they believe it’s being fairly applied. Much of LPJ amounts to taking the time to listen, and to explain. The difference it makes can be dramatic.

Law Enforcement Officers Safety Acts

Salinas PD LEOSA Qualification Information

A yearly LEOSA qualification for honorably Retired Salinas Police Officers can be scheduled by emailing the Administrative Secretaries, Stephanie Morales-Bravo or Martha Guizar.

Retiree qualifications can be conducted on any open range day after being coordinated with either Stephanie or Martha. Please do not just show up to the range without scheduling.

A yearly Retiree BBQ is held at the Salinas Police Department located at 312 E. Alisal Street usually during July or August. We invite all retired Salinas Police Officers to attend this event. As part of this event, there will be Rangemasters on hand to qualify retired Officers and to process their LEOSA cards. Please contact Sergeant Murphy for information regarding this event.

Those retirees who are unable to attend either the Retiree BBQ and Qualification or an Open Range Day due to living out of county may download the Salinas PD LEOSA Qualification Course and the Salinas PD Retiree Qualification forms.

Take these forms to any Local, State, or Federal Law Enforcement Agency who is willing to qualify you using our standards. We do not recognize private firearms instructors, military or security contractors, only Local, State, or Federal Law Enforcement Agencies can qualify retirees. Once you are qualified have the Rangemaster who qualified you sign the SPD Retiree Qualification Form and indicate the Agency which conducted the qualification. The form must include a valid mailing address and telephone contact number for the retiree requesting the LEOSA card. We cannot validate your qualification and issue you a LEOSA card without this information. Once the form is completed the certifying agency or the retiree must scan the signed copy of the SPD Retiree Qualification Form and email it to Stephanie and Martha.

Upon receiving the scanned form Salinas range staff will verify the information is accurate this process may include contacting the qualifying agency for verification.

The retiree will receive his or her LEOSA Card in the mail approximately 2 weeks after we receive the properly completed forms.

If you need to speak directly to a member of the Range Staff, contact Sergeant Cameron Murphy by email or call 831-758-7280.

If you need to speak directly to Stephanie Morales-Bravo or Martha Guizar please call 831-758-7286.

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EMPLOYEE AWARDS