Dear fellow HDSA members,

As we look back on 2021, we have much to be grateful for as well as some regrets. I believed we as community would push through Covid and get back to a full “normal” life in 2021. But, that was not to be. However, I still hold out hope we will all get through this pandemic, learn from our mistakes and be stronger in the end.

As you all may know, Sheriff Bill Gore will not be seeking re-election this year. All of us here at the HDSA will miss him and wish him well in retirement. Another change was that Lieutenant John Boyce moved to Internal Affairs and our new liaison is Lieutenant Martha Hernandez. Good luck to John and welcome Martha!

While members asked for more events to attend, we were restricted by the health department directives. We were able to hold two member luncheons. A July luncheon was held at the East Miramar K-9 field and it was well attended. The Sheriff was on hand with his command staff to talk with members and give us an update of what was happening within the department. This luncheon also provided membership an opportunity to tour the new K-9 building (More about this later.) Members also were given the opportunity to experience a “Shoot-No shoot” interactive training session.

The second luncheon was our Holiday luncheon held in December at Morgan’s Run golf course. Another well attended event where Undersheriff Kelly Martinez and former police chief-Mayor, Jerry Sanders spoke to the group.

We held two “Funshoots” at “Duffy’s Town this past year. Although well attended, we could have accommodated more than those who did show. Also, for one of the shoots, the WTU staff allowed us to experience the new, state of the art, mobile weapons training trailer. Very interactive, very cool. If you get the chance to experience this, I suggest you do it!

We added 51 new members to the association. We currently have 621 paid, active members. Please reach out to your family, friends and neighbors to apply for membership. If we can get 20 members per quarter, we can break the 700 membership mark. Our 2021 membership income is $52,000 more than budgeted. A big thanks to Ronson Shamoun for bringing in the most new members for 2021.

Our revenue from private grants, fundraising and gifts equaled $455,000 more than budgeted for 2021. Bulk of the money came from the “Mary & Gary West Foundation.” Their foundation funded the new K-9 building at East Miramar. The remainder came from the estate of Tom Prendergast and the “ACES Foundation.”

As you all know, Tom Prendergast was a founding member that passed away in 2020. As part of his will, Tom earmarked $100,000 for donation to the HDSA. His generosity lead to our board moving to establish the “Tom Prendergast Memorial Fund.” You can be a “one percenter” by writing into your will or living trust, that 1% of your estate be donated to the HDSA upon your death.

Our treasurer, Ronson Shamoun, of RJS Law, has offered to adjust or create any member’s will for free. You can contact his office at 619-595-1655. Be sure to reference you are an HDSA member.

The “ACES Foundation” donated funding for a patrol K-9, a Narcotic detection K-9 and a bloodhound puppy for search and detection. Thank you to the “ACES Foundation” for their commitment to keeping our county safe.

Interaction with the DSA has improved greatly. Although the DSA membership voted not to make the building purchase, we did improve our lines of communication with them during this process. The DSA has assisted us in working with the Retired Deputies Sheriff’s Association (RDSA) to move toward opening the Sheriff’s museum as a 501(c)(3) charity.

Under the museum plan, your HDSA would hold ownership of the Sheriff’s Museum and maintain it as an asset. As I have explained before, the HDSA is really good at doing projects, but running a day to day business, such as the museum, is not our strong suit. Our current plan is for the RDSA to actually operate the museum for public tours and special events. We would still have access to the museum for our fundraising events and you could donate your time to help the RDSA keep the museum open. Our plan is to have the museum open and the RDSA operating it in the first quarter of 2022.

We finally completed the new K-9 training center at East Miramar WTU and A-Range Bathrooms. Thank you to all the members who donated their time and treasure to completing this project.

Thank you to:

  • Mary & Gary West Foundation

  • Matt Mauzy of Mauzy Heating and Air.

  • Pete Sara of K&S Construction

  • Jeff Basford – Bob O’Neil – Chris Honeycutt – Tom Honeycutt

Please consider offering your valuable time to be on a committee or to chair a committee. Bill Desy has asked for help with membership committee. Todd Reed has asked for help with the “Funshoot” for this coming year.

We also support several programs within the department that always need committed people to help out. Here are a few:

  • (YANA) You are not alone senior assistance.

  • Explorer scouts program

  • Senior volunteer program

  • RESPECT Program for at risk youth.

Reach out to Heather Araiza at the HDSA office 858-974-2296 heatherhdsa@gmail.com if you can help.

THE SHERIFF NEEDS DEPUTIES!  Recruitment for smart, capable men and women to the honorable and noble profession of law enforcement is way down. If you know of anyone interested in a career in Law Enforcement, have them contact the Sheriff’s Department recruiting division at 858-974-2000 or “recruit@sdsheriff.org.”

I want to thank the outgoing board members: Bud Silva, Randi Kolender, Jack Perry, Gary Fenelli and Al Haas. We all owe you a debt of gratitude for your commitment to the association. As the final board vote of 2021, sitting members voted to continue with the current executive board of 2021 into 2022 as allowed by the by-Laws.

I now welcome the newly elected board members: Jeff Basford, Brian Malloy, Chris Honeycutt, Jorge Monraz and Michael Canzone.
Please help me and your association to meet our 2022 goals:

  • Work with membership and RDSA to open the Sheriff’s Museum by March 31, 2022.

  • Increase membership to 700 members by December 31, 2022.

  • Raise an additional $500,000 in membership fees, grants and fundraising.

Thank you all for your support. Let’s have a fabulous and successful 2022!

-Tim Tilley