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Support Services
Peer Support
Peer Support is made up of 16 men and women working various assignments within the Sheriff’s Office to include Patrol, Custody, Investigations, Dispatch and Court Security. This dedicated group takes on the task of helping personnel within the Sheriff's Office. Law Enforcement sees violence and the depths of despair and tragedy while encountering all types of calls, and focuses on helping those that need assistance. The Peer Support team focuses on the employee to make sure they can continue to serve and be resilient in a field that is often negative and hostile.
Peer Support partners with Sierra Law Enforcement Chaplaincy and three privately contracted counselors who specialize in working with first responders and PTSD. These partnerships help p resources to those who need it and build strength and resiliency for a successful law enforcement career.
The Peer Support team facilitates Critical Incident Stress Debriefings following serious or tragic incidents. These debriefings have become standard in law enforcement and the fire service. They provide tools that help the individual as well as the law enforcement team as a whole. The sooner a debriefing occurs after an incident, the more positive the outcome.
No one understands what those in the law
enforcement field go through better than their
peers. This is why Peer Support is critical in
sharing thoughts, feelings and emotions with
those who have been through similar events.
Sometimes a simple cup of coffee with a peer
is all that is needed to keep the brave men and
women in this profession happy and healthy.
Peer support is dedicated to continuing to
evolve to help in the most effective ways
possible as the science in the area of PTSD
continues to grow.
Personnel
Law enforcement agencies around the nation are experiencing recruitment struggles. The Sheriff's Personnel Unit has developed a recruitment team that has taken a fresh approach to combat this; bringing the best law enforcement officers to El Dorado County.
Many agencies recruit new deputies directly from the academies, but the Sheriff's Office recruitment team is set apart from the normal speeches that recruits hear. They share about the supportive citizens in the community, the chance to work on various collateral duties earlier in their career and the mentoring relationships they will build.
The Sheriff emphasizes developing and promoting our current employees by continuing to sponsor them through a regional intensive academy. Current employees of the Sheriff's Office are eligible to apply for the Deputy Sheriff trainee position. Those who successfully complete the promotional process are paid to attend the POST Academy. Our recruits are often leaders in their academy, true
examples of Total Professionalism.
This year, the Sheriff's Office also hosted it's
first Lateral Recruitment Day. This event invites
current California law enforcement officers to
come to El Dorado County to see what we have
to offer as an agency and a community. The
officers meet with staff of all levels, including
the Sheriff. The guests have the opportunity to
ask any questions or concerns they have and
the Sheriff answers them directly. With the
recent change of climate in the law
enforcement community, the opportunity to
address their concerns with the Sheriff openly
is indispensable. The recruitment team is
certain they are bringing the best of the best to
serve El Dorado County.