Lawndale Tribune AND lAwNDAle News The Weekly Newspaper of Lawndale Herald Publications - Inglewood, Hawthorne, Lawndale, El Segundo, Torrance & Manhattan Beach Community Newspapers Since 1911 - Circulation 30,000 - Readership 60,000 (310) 322-1830 - August 13, 2015 New Officers Sworn To Airport Police Force Five new officers were sworn into the airport police force and will complete a six-month training program before being assigned to specific sections. The officers are (L-R) Jason Flores, Jesse Rodriguez, Pedro Shin, Zachariah Pierini, and Gary Chen, with Los Angeles Airport Police Assistant Chief Brian Walker (center). Photo courtesy of CSI Officer Shawn Smith. A Day In The Life of A Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy By Nancy Peters Lieutenant John Hocking is a deputy, with a rank of Lieutenant, as a member of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (Sheriff’s Dept.), serving the Lawndale community at the Lawndale Service Center. Following in his father’s footsteps to serve the public in law enforcement, he has achieved his own stellar history with the Sheriff’s Dept. in the last 27 years. John’s father retired from the Los Angeles Police Department Homicide Division. John shared, “When I was growing up, all my parents’ friends were police and all their kids were my friends, so the seeds were planted early that I would be a cop. I chose the Sheriff’s Department because there just seemed to be a great variety of jobs here.” A typical day as a member of the Sheriff’s Dept. includes a myriad of duties. Hocking represents the Sheriff’s Dept. for all things associated with the city of Lawndale. Running the Lawndale Service Center means that all Deputies-on-Duty in patrol cars report to him and therefore John is aware of all incidents taking place throughout the city of Lawndale. He prepares the paperwork for reports to his Captain, Steven Sciacca, the person who ultimately supervises Hocking. In the last few years, there have been several captains to whom Hocking reports activities in Lawndale. The city of Lawndale is fortunate to have consistency in Hocking’s assignment. Citizens feel comfortable calling the Lawndale Service Center or stopping by to speak with Hocking about issues they believe need attention from the Sheriff’s Dept. Other citizens make a point of speaking with Hocking, who attends all City Council meetings, at City Hall. Lt. Hocking makes every citizen feel comfortable when conversing with him. He answers every question he can and takes phone numbers down to get back to someone at another time with an accurate, researched answer. And, without fail, gets back to each person who approaches him. Hocking has worked out of Region 2, now referred to as “Central Patrol Division,” for most of his 27 years on the job. Starting out working in the jail, then going to patrol at Carson Sheriff’s Station, John served there for 13 years. He worked as a deputy, detective, sergeant, in Community Oriented Policing, and as a Watch Commander. The lieutenant was the “face of the Sheriff’s Dept.” for three years when Hocking did a stint as the Media Sergeant for the Sheriff’s Dept. in Monterey Park. He ran all press conferences, speaking for then-Sheriff Lee Baca to all media---print, TV, and radio. When he was promoted to lieutenant, John was transferred to the LA County Jail Inmate Reception Center, where every inmate is processed in to and out of the Los Angeles County Jail system. He also worked at the Bureau of Labor Relations and Compliance. This assignment added to John’s experience when he dealt with a lawsuit in the federal courts that challenged how deputies were selected for the department and how selections were made of deputies for specialized positions once they were serving in the Sheriff’s Dept. His assignments have been varied, just what John was looking for when he chose a career in the Sheriff’s Dept. Patrol and community service assignments are what John Hocking loves about his job. As he indicated, “I am honored to work with such professional and hard-working deputies at the South Los Angeles/Lawndale Sheriff’s Station. “As the highest ranking deputy at the Lawndale Service Center I have the opportunity to serve the city of Lawndale as the point of contact between the Sheriff’s Dept. and the City Manager/City Council of Lawndale. The Lawndale Service Center has four special assignment deputies, two sergeants, two school deputies, one traffic detective, one gang detective, a motorcycle deputy, all of the patrol deputies, as well as the civilians who work in the Center. I am so impressed with the City Manager, Steve Mandoki, and his employees. They run the city with great professionalism and the Mayor and elected officials in Lawndale are outstanding to work with.” John Hocking earned a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice at California State University at Long Beach and recently completed his Masters in Homeland Security from Tiffin University in Ohio. When John is not working, one of his favorite pastimes is photography. The people of Lawndale can rest easy knowing they are in more than capable hands with Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Dept. Deputy Lt. John Hocking enforcing the law in their city. • Inside This Issue Certified & Licensed Professionals.......................7 Classifieds............................2 Community Briefs...............2 Film Review..........................2 Finance..................................3 Food.......................................8 Legals............................... 4, 6 Letters...................................2 Looking Up...........................7 Police Reports.....................2 Seniors..................................5 Sports....................................5 Weekend Forecast Friday Sunny 81˚/66˚ Saturday Sunny 82˚/70˚ Sunday Sunny 84˚/70˚ “When I was growing up, all my parents’ friends were police and all their kids were my friends, so the seeds were planted early that I would be a cop”
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