“You made my week, thank you,” Farias noted.Public Safety Officer of the Month Sgt. Bob Cooper started his law enforcement career in 1993 by attending the Ventura County Police and Sheriffs Reserve Academy, graduating first in his class, said Acting SPPD Chief Mark Hanson.A SPPD Reserve from 1994-1996 while also owning and managing a business in the Conejo and San Fernando Valleys, Sgt. Cooper rose to the rank of Reserve Sergeant. Sgt. Cooper did so “while he concurrently served as a member of the VCSD Search and Rescue Team 3, with special training in mountain, urban, swift water and underwater rescue,” noted Chief Hanson. He also served as a Senior Tactical Officer for two years at the Ventura County Police and Sheriffs Reserve Academy.After graduating from the Ventura County Criminal Justice Training Center in 1996, Sgt. Cooper became a SPPD Officer. He was the coordinator of the Police Department badge redesign project in 1999, funded by Unocal, whose historic Union Oil Co. headquarters - now the California Oil Museum - building appears on the badge. “Sgt. Cooper also serves as a member of the SPPD Special Response Team, which includes duties as a tactical medic and crisis negotiator,” as well as a field training officer and First Aid/CPR instructor.Prior to his promotion to sergeant, he was part of the grant funded Gang Violence Prevention Unit, where he was teamed with a probation officer and worked with juvenile gang members on probation. “This included enforcing court terms and conditions, as well as substance abuse counseling and assisting with school and other resources,” said Chief Hanson.Currently the Patrol Watch Commander, Sgt. Cooper and his wife Melody have a 22-year-old daughter, Tiffany. Chief Hanson accepted the award on behalf of Sgt. Cooper, who was unable to attend.John Macik/Santa Paula Chevrolet provides the plaques for the monthly GMSP! meetings.
Isbell Counselors, SPPD Sgt. honored at November Good Morning SP
November 16, 2005
Santa Paula News
Isbell Middle School counselors and a Santa Paula Police Department sergeant were honored during the November Good Morning Santa Paula!
By Peggy KellySanta Paula TimesIsbell Middle School counselors and a Santa Paula Police Department sergeant were honored during the November Good Morning Santa Paula! Centex Homes hosted the Chamber of Commerce sponsored event at Logsdon’s at the Airport.Isbell Principal Rivera noted that the award for the Educator of the Month was to “celebrate not just one individual, but a team who has dedicated themselves to the well-being of our future leaders.” Counselors Angie Alamillo, Katie Callahan and Victor Farias have all earned degrees from prestigious universities, and “we have been blessed to having them members of the staff.”Dedication, good judgement and thinking outside the box are just examples of the three, who have created an “excellent counseling department,” noted Rivera. “They just don’t run the department,” but are also out among students preparing them for higher education.The three counselors are education jacks of all trades, from running the Algebra Club to overseeing peer and parent education programs, academic interventions and solving student behavior issues, among other duties. “They make our school a better place for our kids... how valuable they are to our organization and our community,” said Rivera.“Santa Paula has been very good to me,” noted Callahan, who formerly worked at Santa Paula High School. “Now I’m at Isbell and I’m going to make it my home forever.”Working as a team working with Isbell students has been a “great experience for me,” said Alamillo.