Mountain Views News, Sierra Madre Edition [Pasadena] Saturday, July 14, 2018

SATURDAY, JULY 14, 2018

AROUND SAN GABRIEL VALLEY

IN MEMORY OF ANTHONY AVALOS

SIX ARCADIA POLICE RECRUITS GRADUATED 
FROM RIO HONDO POLICE ACADEMY 


By Joan Schmidt

 By now, all are aware of the tragic death 
of 10 year old Anthony Avalos of Lancaster 
from repeated abuse by his mother and her 
boyfriend. 

 Recently I wrote that Supervisor Barger 
is outstanding; June 26, she reinforced my 
opinion. At the Board of Supervisors (BOS) 
Meeting, Barger introduced a motion. Barger 
began saying she was shocked and saddened 
by the horrible, tragic, senseless murder of 
a child, inside the home. Law enforcement, 
social workers, and family preservation 
workers all interacted with the family. She 
mentioned the BOS had established the Office of 
Child Protection (OCP) to transform the child 
welfare system with an integrated approach to child 
protection. But County’s involvement with Anthony 
ended shortly after OCP was created. How have our 
efforts succeeded; where there are gaps and barriers?

 Barger feels “We need to assess the services/
programs throughout the county with a focus on 
the Antelope Valley…the quality and accessibility 
of programs and services for the families in the 
region…assess the ongoing collaboration between 
child protective services and law enforcement and 
other county agencies that support children and 
families in need.”

Barger submitted the following:

I THEREFORE MOVE that the Board of Supervisors 
direct:

1. The Office of Child Protection (OCP) to convene 
the Department of Children and Family Services 
(DCFS) Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, and any 
other agencies that may have had contact with the 
family in the Anthony Avalos case, to review the 
history of contacts and identify any systemic issues 
that may have impeded the coordination of services.
2. DCFS to review the staffing levels in the Antelope 
Valley regional offices (Lancaster and Palmdale) 
and report back on the assessment of appropriate 
staffing ratios and adequate supervision of case 
carrying social workers, taking into consideration the 
region’s uniquely remote location and diminished 
access to necessary prevention and support services. 
This review should also include an evaluation of 
the relative experience and length of service social 
workers in the Antelope Valley compared to other 
regional offices within the county.
3. The Health Agency, the Department of Health 
Services, the OCP and DCFS to report back to 
the Board on existing medical hub services in the 
Antelope Valley, and ways to improve its access and 
availability, quality of care and appropriate staffing 
resources.
4. OCP to report back to the Board on the ongoing 
collaboration of law enforcement with DCFS in 
child abuse and neglect referrals, especially since the 
implementation of Electronic Suspected Child Abuse 
Reporting System(ESCARS) and other protocols 
identified by the Blue Ribbon Commission on Child 
Protection, and identify any gaps and issues that still 
need to be addressed.
5. DCFS to collaborate with DCF to develop a 
standing case-quality assurance team that will review 
random samples of cases throughout the County 
and conduct targeted reviews based on exigent 
circumstance to provide feedback on the quality 
of services and oversight provided to families; the 
efficiency of engagement with other county agencies 
or contractors; and any systemic issues potentially 
impacting service quality.
6. Aforementioned reports back to the Board to be 
due in 60 days.


This motion was approved by a unanimous vote of 
the Board of Supervisors. I know it is very lengthy, 
but I want everyone to be cognizant of how hard our 
Supervisors are working. 

This is only one aspect of Barger’s efforts. 


Six Arcadia Police Recruits have graduated with 
class 206 of the Rio Hondo Police Academy. 
Pictured below from left to right are Recruits 
Julius Santos, Dylan Morrill, Jose Robles Jr., 
Michael Isidro, Miguel Marquez, and Gio Capra, 
with Chief Bob Guthrie (Center), and Captains 
Larry Goodman (Left) and Paul Foley (Right).

 The recruits completed over 1,000 hours of 
training and instruction over 5 . months (January 
28th through July 12th). Recruit Capra earned the 
highest academic percentage of the class as well as 
the highest overall class ranking, which includes 
academics, report writing, firearms, physical fitness, 
scenario testing. For his efforts, Recruit Capra was 
awarded the Honor Cadet recognition, with Recruit 
Santos finishing second overall, and Recruit Morrill 
fifth overall. Class 206 started with 41 Cadets, and 
24 graduated.

 Presenting the colors at the graduation ceremony 
was the Arcadia Police Department Honor Guard, 
consisting of Field Training Officers Daniel Tea, 
Carlos Quiroz, and Danny Daryaie, as well as Officer 
Michael Turrell who also serves at the academy as a 
Recruit Training Officer.

 The Recruits will be sworn-in as Police Officers 
and start their 2-week department orientation 
Monday July 16th. They will then be assigned to the 
Field Training Program where they will complete 
an additional 800 hours of field training before 
reaching the required standards to become a solo 
patrol officer.

 The Arcadia Police Department would like to 
congratulate our six new officers on a job well done, 
wish them continued success in the field training 
program, and we look forward to working with 
them for decades to come.


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