I have had a several members of the leadership from both the DSA and the CPOA reach out to me. Both have expressed a concern that the memberships are going to be divided by the latest actions of Laurie Smith in regards to her proposal to the county and that all of us make a concerted effort to be aware of this and not let it divide us.
This is a tactic that the incumbent has taken in the past with some success. Making big promises to the CPOA got her their endorsement and support last election. The CPOA was under old leadership and accepted empty promises at face value and it has brought 4 years of division and punishment among the corrections ranks, even though you gave her what she wanted, you were still punished for making her promise to give you something in return. The CPOA is under new leadership and understands that promises to take from one and give to another are both empty and divisive and will not bring improvements over the next 4 years any more than they did the last four.
I can say the same for the DSA, under new leadership, what appeared to be collusion by some with the sheriff has gone by the wayside. No more selling out the membership, individually or as a whole, to “make friends” with the Sheriff while the board turns their head to the abuses. It may seem like not enough is happening, but the problems are stacked so deep, prioritizing these has put getting a new sheriff in office at the top so hopefully many of the other issues may resolve themselves with that simple change.
Currently, as many have seen in both the jails and enforcement, she is also working to attempt to generate this division on an individual level with all kinds of promises to certain people in both corrections and enforcement; it’s painfully evident the change in behavior of those people once promises are made to them and they have sold out what many of them have claimed to value in this career.
The message I was sent from everyone was loud and clear — both the DSA and the CPOA are working together at the top, both the DSA and the CPOA need to continue to work together at all levels. Do not allow the actions of a few who have put the betterment of their office, their co-workers and their community beneath their own selfish goals discourage you. There are not enough of them to make that happen.
There’s not enough of them to allow us to let our will flag in this battle to improve the office through new leadership and our gratification at the end is that we get new leadership who will not carry out these divisive, self-serving promises that have been made by a desperate incumbent and her equally desperate administration. Have no doubt that people who have kowtowed to the incumbent, shirking their responsibilities to the public to create a morass of demoralized deputies to rule over are not thrilled to be hearing about Kevin Jensen’s intention to create a program to enforce accountability at all levels among other improvements that will help both the office and our communities.
Remember what we came to this career understanding; most of us had goals in being a peace officer that were along the lines of doing something for people, making your community a better place, having a secure job while doing something of value, having the opportunity to help others. Some of us have forgotten those goals, and others, well they probably did come into this with nothing but self-serving goals. There are always and will always be those few who are simply looking to buy their way up the ladder. Our job is to overcome that which takes away from our integrity as a whole — it is part of our committment to do make the best decisions possible in doing the right thing in our communities. Right now, that is working to get rid of an administration that demands people revoke their values to gain a rung on the ladder.
United we stand, divided we fall. We will not allow her to divide us as she has before.
Volunteer to help the Kevin Jensen campaign get out the word
Volunteer to help the DSA/CPOA PAC get out the word
The only way to win the election is to let people know just how precarious a position Laurie Smith has put this office. The only way to make that happen is for all of you to leave your comfort zone and get the word out.
Casey Thomas' World 
Fed Up… You need to add in Ron Levine Chief of Foothill-De Anza College District
Probably one huge reason those people supported the same person 4 years ago was the person running against her! No one wanted that person in charge who is the worse evil?.
Cannot imagine that the issue of where will those 11 Deputy Sergeants will go? Was the merger not done to SAVE money? That is what they sold the voters just a few years back. Will they be fired, demoted or be asked to resign?
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Casey,
As the old adage goes, hind sight is 20/20. What previous boards from either association did or should have done is water on the bridge. I am sure that at those moments, the leaderships did what they thought best for their associations at that time, with the information they had. Today’s focus is what lays in front of us now, and that is our future. Not just CPOA or DSA’s future, but all of the members of our department.
I am very proud and honored that the men and women of the CPOA have allowed me to serve them. I am equally proud and honored that the DSA and CPOA have at long last found common grounds and the relationships, bonds and willingness to work together between our associations have never been stronger.
Yes, we are a “TEAM,” Casey. With the combined forces of our memberships, woe to the person that doubts our resolve or willingness to get this done.
Thank you, Casey. We all appreciate you and what you do.
Lance Scimeca
CPOA President.
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It is mandatory that both the DSA and CPOA stay together on all issues from here out. Everyone involved understands that by cutting this job and that job from the rank and file, to move it elsewhere causes more issues than it fixes. Playing favorites always ends up with unqualified people in leadership roles. Why is it?., that this Department has only produced two Police Chief in the last 40 years? Tom Sing, Evergreen, Wes Boling, E Palo Alto…..no others …..Why?….Because people who move up the ranks so fast that they never learned the original job of being a Deputy Sheriff. Is 3 years enough to “season” a new Deputy to promote to the next step?…then BAM, Lieutenant….Captain and done in 6 years?……What do you think?…..is this how you envisioned your career to be?…Some of you won’t even know those names, but it will let you know, since you started no one has gone on to bigger and better. Until now. Kevin Jensen, an insider, with the ability to take over and successfully integrate new fresh ideas, and with a moral compass we can all appreciate.
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Fed up, it’s virtually impossible to be the one to make the command decisions at the helm of a ship when you don’t know what a sail or the mast it’s on is to begin with. This has increasingly been the problem where command staff gets involved — investigations spiral out of control and aren’t done properly because the person who came out of the crystal palace to run things simply does not know what needs to be done. Go run another agency after you’re a “leader” here? With your only experience being hiding behind a desk hoping you aren’t cornered into having to make a decision? I don’t think so. I will say though that there are some incredibly talented lower line staff that could probably be put at the helm with incredible success who will NEVER see a promotion (and many who refuse to promote) because of the “leadership” in this agency. An incredible loss of resources to the community come in the manpower that she and her administration hate simply because their competence makes them look like bumbling fools.
Our Sheriff claims to have led every division in the agency at some point in her career. Fact remains, she went directly from sergeant to assistant sheriff and probably couldn’t find most the divisions prior to that promotion, nevermind lead them.
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