Saratoga News
News
Hirokawa moves up, Calderone moves in at sheriff's department
By Shannon Burkey
A change of command has taken place at the Santa Clara County West Valley Substation as Cmdr. John Hirokawa hands over the reins to one of the most demanding sheriff's office posts in the county to Capt. Terry Calderone.
After working as a lieutenant at the substation for almost three years, Calderone took over the position formerly held by Hirokawa on Aug. 28. Hirokawa was promoted from captain of the substation to commander of the San Jose headquarters in July.
"I hope to follow in the footsteps of John; he did a wonderful job out here," Calderone said.
In his new role Calderone said that he will continue to provide the cities that look to the substation for protection with the efficient and quality service they have had in the past.
This should be no problem for Calderone, though. He will bring a lot of expertise to his new post, according to Hirokawa.
"The cities are very lucky to have him. Terry is a hard worker, and it is not unusual for him to put in 60 to 70 hours a week," Hirokawa said. "He is very in tune to the needs of this position and he will stay on top of things."
The West Valley Substation serves the cities of Saratoga, Cupertino, Los Altos Hills and the unincorporated areas of the Santa Cruz Mountains and Moffett Field. Because of the different cities the substation serves, Hirokawa said he feels the substation captain position is a very demanding and prestigious one that requires a lot of responsibility.
"You are basically acting as chief of police, and you do all the work as chief of police of three cities," Hirokawa said. "That is why that position is so crucial."
Through the years, the West Valley Substation has turned out many of Santa Clara County's finest. Hirokawa took over when his predecessor, Dennis Bacon, was promoted to commander of the San Jose headquarters. Jeff Miles and Bob Wilson, two other previous West Valley Substation captains, were each appointed to undersheriff after their stints at the substation.
"You can see that the West Valley Substation, for several years, has been the kind of division that has groomed future top executive staff to the sheriff's office," Hirokawa said.
Hirokawa said he has a unique relationship with the substation. He is one of the few ranked staff that has come through the West Valley Substation. Starting out working patrol, he worked his way up to lieutenant of the station in 2001, then was promoted to captain in 2002, where he remained until his recent promotion.
"It was always my dream to become a lieutenant or captain at this particular station," said Hirokawa, who lives in Saratoga.
Though he has accomplished a lot, Hirokawa said he knows he did not do it alone.
"Everything I have accomplished is because of those officers working patrol. They are out there every day, and without them my credibility would not be as good," Hirokawa said. "That is where the praise should be going--to the people who work patrol every day."
Since recent budget cuts in the county have left the sheriff's office $3.4 million in the red, according to Hirokawa, their offices have been working at "bare bones."
Both men said they hope there will be more money to increase their staff. With the recent passage of Assembly Bill 117 that would return about $4 million in tax equity allocation funds to the cities of Saratoga, Cupertino, Los Altos Hills and Monte Sereno, money that could help the sheriff's office may soon be a reality.
"With that money, we can increase public safety and get back to the level we were at before the budget cuts," Calderone said.
