Saratoga News Westside officers making gains with job promotions By Michelle Alaimo The new year is bringing new faces to different places within the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department Westside Substation. Lt. Cary Colla said some of the changes that became effective Jan. 11 resulted from the filling of open supervisory positions within the department. Out of six deputies promoted to sergeant department-wide, four are from the Westside Substation. Those promoted include Cupertino school resource officer Ed Lavorne, swing shift patrol deputy Dave Johnson, deputy Kevin Jensen and deputy Don Staats. Staats was one of the lead investigators on a vandalism case that led to the recent arrest of a tagger who is believed to have done considerable damage in the area. Staats, Jensen and Lavorne are now sergeants with the Santa Clara County jail system. Johnson was named patrol sergeant at the downtown San Jose sheriff's station. Others at the substation have moved on to new locations or taken new positions within the office. Among those making a change is Deputy Bob Gallardo, who will take over Lavorne's job as the new Cupertino student resource officer. Saratoga SRO Ron Breuss also now has a new partner in deputy Mark Ramirez, who will act as a Saratoga schools liaison. Ramirez said he will be the first one called when schools have a problem that will involving the Sheriff's Department. Ramirez, a former midnight shift deputy, said he also will be a training deputy and teach new officers about community policing. Schools aren't the only ones who will see a new face. Deputy Greg Taylor, who has spent the last three years on the midnight shift, is now the business liaison. Taylor said he will address needs of Saratoga business owners. "It provides continuity," Taylor said. Although it appears many personnel changes are under way and ongoing at the Westside Substation, Colla said that change is not unusual. "We've promoted 30 plus people since November 1997," Colla said. He adds that the promotions show the high caliber of people who work out of the substation. [ Back to Contents Page | Saratoga News Home Page | Archives ] This article appeared in the Saratoga News, January 20, 1999. ©1999 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.