Spectrum 2009 - June 2nd

Deputy Chief Serrano Marks 34 Years of Law Enforcement
June 2, 2009

West Sacramento Deputy Chief Henry Serrano now spends most of his time at the station house, but he spent many years patrolling the streets. That’s not to say his present days are quiet, though. After getting his start in the Sacramento County Department of Jails and Courts in 1975, Serrano has experienced a successful career that has spanned more than three decades of service to the Sacramento region.

Serrano has seen his share of changes in the last 34 years but has found the ability to adapt the response of the police force, hopefully proactively, in order to meet changing needs and to ensure public safety.

And while some communities have experienced a rise in crime as the economy falters, Serrano says there has been no such radical flux in West Sacramento. He credits small police teams, which follow emerging crime patterns, such as car vandalisms, and he devises individualized strategies to ensure a safe community. Serrano oversees the duties of 115 staff members, and his outlook is one of “robust and continuous oversight.”

The duties of deputy chief are as unique as the citizens of West Sacramento. Serrano constantly works to build and reinforce a bridge between the community and the officers that serve it. Serrano is the head of operations, and he is faced with everything from financial challenges, ensuring equitable division of services and community outreach coordination.

Many communities are facing record deficits and constraints in the face of budget reductions, but the West Sacramento Police Department has employed a proactive strategy to maintain services to the community.

Serrano reveals that the department’s executive team has been working for several months to ensure minimal community impact, which means that officers will remain on patrol. In difficult times, Serrano praises the “volunteers who fill the void.”

The Volunteers In Policing, or VIP, force is a collection of adult community members who spent over 30 hours in specialized training in order to serve. The VIP program works to match the abilities of volunteers to the station needs, and volunteers can be found in records, fingerprinting, fleet maintenance, document preparation and assisting community meetings.

Serrano is often in attendance at community outreach events, such as last year’s Senior Center BBQ and summertime Ice Cream Social. West Sacramento is still a young city, and Serrano has found that the growing city relies on a team that adapts to changing needs.

“The relationship is never static; we continually review and revise plans,” Serrano confirms, highlighting recent disaster training. The city continually evaluates and improves plans which address prevention, preparedness, response and recovery to both natural disasters and homeland security threats.

With communication at the forefront, the station has a myriad of choices to connect residents to the information they desire. Times and locations of community meetings, for example, can be found by contacting the department or logging onto the department Web site: http://www.cityofwestsacramento.org.

Community events often feature informative pamphlets that connect citizens to other government and nonprofit agencies. A unique program to ensure community awareness is West Sacramento’s Crime Mapping. Updated daily through the department Web site, the crime map gives detailed information on recent crimes reported within the city.

Serrano believes the community and the police must work together to address crime, and he highlights the Community Response Team, which allows residents to make anonymous crime reports and provide tips to deputies.

One example is the attention drawn to Elder Abuse Prevention. The station has pamphlets available for citizens that go beyond the passive information. By engaging neighborhood watch programs, directing concerned citizens to a “Tip Line,” and promising to investigate every claim, “leaving no stone unturned,” the officers make every effort to protect and serve.

Serrano himself grew up in the area and lives in the community with his wife of 33 years. With a son-in-law on the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department, Kevin McKinty, and his first grandchild on the way, Serrano understands the growing need for a capable and proactive police force. To that end, he turns to recruitment efforts encouraging lateral hires as well as those with no prior training to enter the Sacramento County Sheriffs Academy.

Serrano’s oldest son Peter, 28, just graduated from Florida Coastal Law School, and another son, Shawn, 26, is starting his Master’s Degree program in behavioral psychology at Claremont College. Serrano beamed with pride as he discussed his boys and his daughter Laura, 30, who is expecting baby “Jack” very soon.

A growing city like West Sacramento surely needs a leader like Serrano, say fellow officers. As a 34-year veteran of the industry, Serrano retired from Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department before landing in West Sacramento three and a half years ago. He has found new challenges in the city but draws on his experience from his four and a half years as police chief with the Citrus Heights Police Department.

Working now under Police Chief Dan Drummond, whom Serrano calls a “capable and intelligent leader,” you can find Deputy Chief Henry Serrano behind the helm directing his staff and volunteers to provide the best service possible.

It’s a career that Serrano calls “challenging and rewarding with needs that constantly change and grow.”