Deputies, firefighters and volunteers honored at public safety day
Calabasas city tradition began in 1994

IN GOOD HANDS- Among the honorees at the annual public safety employees appreciation luncheon in Calabasas are Dep. Sean Brownell and Dep. Robert DeSantis, bottom row third and fourth from the right; public safety volunteer and former City Council member Karen Foley, top row third from the left; and retiring Los Angeles County Fire Department Chief Reggie Lee, top row, right. Sheriff Lee Baca, top row second from left, gave the keynote speech. Others on hand included, in the top row, Mary Sue Maurer, James Bozajian and Dennis Washburn, all from the Calabasas City Council. Photo courtesy CITY OF CALABASAS

Sheriff's deputies, firefighters and citizen volunteers received a hearty thanks from the community at a Feb. 26 public safety employees appreciation luncheon in Calabasas.

The city has been hosting the event since 1994. It was held at the Agoura Hills/Calabasas Community Center.

The idea was started by Calabasas Mayor James Bozajian, who was then a member of the Calabasas Police Commission. The panel is now called the Public Safety Commission.

Last week's special guest was Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca.

"Calabasas is a place where safety is a major priority," Baca said. He called public safety an "emotional service" in which deputies "lead with their hearts."

The L.A. County Sheriff's Dept. is the largest police force in the world.

The honorees included Sgt. Philip Brooks and deputies Robert DeSantis, Sean Brownell and John Caffrey of the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff's Station.

DeSantis and Brownell are community relations and crime prevention deputies.

"I'm a resident of Calabasas and I take this to heart," said DeSantis, a sheriff's deputy for 18 years.

Brooks and Caffrey have made their contribution in the Lost Hills traffic department.

Recognition also was given to the station's Disaster Communications Service, a group of volunteer radio operators who donate thousands of hours of service to the sheriff's department each year. More than 35 of the volunteers took part in a Federal Communications Commission amateur radio class last Saturday.

The Los Angeles County Fire Department had two honorees: firefighter Steve Messick from Station 125 in Calabasas and firefighter/paramedic Joseph Adlhoch from Station 68.

California Highway Patrol officer Garrett Smith was honored, as were citizen volunteers Stacey Black, a neighborhood watch coordinator, and Karen Foley, a twoterm Calabasas City Council member who helped found the city's popular Teen Court.