Councilman Hall Presented with a Certificate of Completion: Sheriff Leroy D. Baca, Councilman Isadore Hall and Captain William M. Ryan-Compton Sheriff Station.

Loud cheers and waves of pride filled the hearing room at the Hall of Administration downtown February 11 when about 25 recruits became reserve officers for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Compton City Councilman and 52nd Assembly District Candidate Isadore Hall was among the group known as reserve class 110, who trained for 22 months. Kicking off the graduation was a special pinning ceremony where family members including Hall’s mother Dorothy and nephew Matthew pinned official LASD badges to their shirts.

“It’s been a lifelong dream,” said Hall of his decision to become a reserve officer.

“It gives me a greater sense of the public safety issues that confront our community.”

“We struggled together and now we’ve succeeded together,” said one of the honor recruits in his graduation speech.

Before diplomas were handed out class 110 shouted their oath to the audience during the swearing in ceremony promising to uphold both the California and United States Constitution, to move away from bigotry in all it’s forms and to respect as well as protect the public. Sheriff assistant Doug Sanford followed the oath with a poem called “Common Sense in Memoriam,” drawing laughs from the audience.

“Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don’t spend more than you earn,” he read... “and reliable parenting strategies (adults, not kids, are in charge). His health began to rapidly deteriorate when well intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place.

“Reports of a six-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate, teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch, and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student only worsened his condition. It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer aspirin to a student but could not inform the parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion...”

According to the department’s website, Reserve Forces Bureau recruits new candidates, processes their applications, and conducts various pre-employment tests. Upon successful completion, the applicant will attend a Reserve Academy, and when graduated, the reserve will work at an assignment of their choice. The Reserve Program is also responsible for overseeing and maintaining training, conducting annual unit inspections, and the coordination of personnel at various events. The Bureau consists of four major components: Uniform Reserves, Search and Rescue, Mounted Posse, and the Reserve Academy.

Explorer Scouts attend an academy like the Reserves, and are eligible to work a myriad of assignments offered to them such as fingerprinting, bicycle licensing, traffic control, and participation in training/recreational activities.

Both the Reserve and Explorer Academies have an agreement with various participating agencies who use the Department’s resources and expertise to train their personnel as well.

The Industrial Relations Detail maintains liaison between the business and labor communities. The Detail also trains patrol personnel in the handling of labor disputes and picket lines. For more information on Reserve and Explorer Programs, visit www.lasd.org.

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