It was just another day for Deputy Brett Turk, who happened to enforce a traffic stop of a motorist who was on his phone – traveling at 72 mph on McBean Parkway, which is a 45-mph zone. Just a couple of days later, Turk followed a white truck on the same street, traveling at 58 mph — 13 mph above the speed limit.  As Turk was talking with and warning the driver, he was simultaneously greeted by the other deputies who checked on him as he and the truck were stopped in front of Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital.  “We always help each other out … I didn’t even ask for help at that stop, and they were there to help me out,” Turk said.  The Signal had the opportunity recently to ride along with Turk, a deputy from the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station, to observe the intricacies of the job of law enforcement, ranging from conducting traffic stops to arresting suspects on suspicion of driving under the influence.  Turk has always been interested in the field, from going on ride-alongs since the age of 14, to learning from local mentors and participating in the Deputy Explorer Program, before applying to be a deputy when he was 21. With a few years of work experience at Pitchess Detention Center – working at a Los Angeles County jail is typically a requirement before patrolling the streets – Turk monitors and responds to calls in the Newhall area in a traffic patrol car.   Deputy Turk uses the radar to scan for any residents significantly going over the speed limit on McBean Parkway. Habeba Mostafa/ The Signal According to Turk, sheriff’s deputies in the SCV are in either a traffic or crime patrol car. Turk’s unit is primarily in charge of responding to DUIs and crashes, with secondary responsibilities including traffic enforcement and overall driver safety. The primary functions of a crime car, on the other hand, are calls for service, crime suppression and area saturation, and can include calls such as domestic disturbances.  In addition, “motors,” or motor officers, primarily focus on utilizing radar to conduct traffic stops. If Turk has down time, he will attentively watch the radar to conduct traffic stops, as well. While traffic and crime cars are divided with various responsibilities, either type of car can respond to any kind of call.  Pulling into the center divider of McBean Parkway in the middle of the afternoon, prior to conducting the traffic stop, Turk uses some of his downtime in his call-dependent day to look for residents speeding down one of the city’s main roads.  The inside of every patrol vehicle entails a plugged in computer, where deputies receive calls and log each incident. Habeba Mostafa/ The Signal As he awaits, he also uses the opportunity to log his incidents in more depth, saying that he often files his reports from the field. While Turk can often remember every major incident to write a report on, especially as the day may become hectic with no time in between calls, he is also able to reference his body-worn camera, if need be.  While the radar makes noise throughout the duration of the day, almost classified as white noise for Turk, one can associate the higher-pitched sound as an indication that someone is driving at a higher speed.   For Turk, his main incentive is to remind residents of safety as they speed, telling them that if a vehicle is at a lower speed, a crash can most likely be avoided. The likely causes of a collision are typically speed and driver inattentiveness — especially for vehicles that could produce a stronger force in a wreck, such as the truck.  The patrol vehicle consists of a shotgun secured with a bandolier of extra rounds for emergencies. Habeba Mostafa/ The Signal As he’s back in the car, he receives a call of a family disturbance in Newhall from a neighbor in the complex, stating that a mother threatened her children with a knife as she was cooking in the kitchen.   Deputies cover the entirety of Santa Clarita and surrounding unincorporated areas; the areas are broken up into different reporting districts. Deputies also respond to calls in areas such as Gorman or Agua Dulce. Each car is often one person — deputies respond to non-emergent calls on their own, but are required to have two cars minimum for bigger calls to ensure their safety.  Waiting on Apple Street for another deputy to arrive, considering that this is now a bigger call, Turk appears to remain calm, focused on briefly logging the prior incident.  When asked how one can cope with the sensitive nature of these calls, Turk responded: “It’s good to have a healthy sense of paranoia — you can’t judge a book by its cover. You stay ready for any scenario.”   Turk then added that he encountered random instances while out on the job, such as being attacked by an elderly couple.  Conducting a welfare check with the other deputy, once he arrived and they pulled into the complex together, and concluding that the incident wasn’t anything of concern, Turk responded to an emergency call in Canyon Country.   Deputies are also not only assigned to a specific area, but also can often assist without request for assistance from their partners — highlighting a strong sense of community within the department.  While he often stays in Newhall or surrounding areas, deputies who patrol the area, and would instead take the call, are on the scene at a collision involving a truck that collided into the back of Chi-Chi’s Pizza on Sierra Highway.  Cue the sirens.  Attempting to leave Newhall in record time, while navigating the ever-growing Santa Clarita population and busy streets, Turk utilizes technique and speed. And his siren speaker.  Deputy Turk scans the bicycle that was slightly hit in Canyon Country. Habeba Mostafa/ The Signal Drivers, often in empty streets, were prone to pulling over to the left side of the road, rather than the right. Turk would blare his vehicle horn and order them to move to the correct side.   Turk explained that, as protocol, law enforcement and first responders typically stay on the left side to encourage the safety of all parties, in the chance that drivers could change their minds at the last minute and pull over to the right, causing a collision.  Deputy Turk writes a report regarding a vehicle versus pedestrian collision in Canyon Country. Habeba Mostafa/ The Signal At a red light off of Sierra Highway, where vehicles were already stopped with the right lane completely empty, Turk intentionally turned his sirens off to avoid having the stopped cars attempt to crowd the empty lane.  Stopping at the scene of the collision, in which an SUV slightly hit a man riding his bicycle, Turk inspects the victim’s bicycle and assesses the scene, as the man is sent to the hospital with an injury to his leg.  From there, Turk stops by the Chi-Chi’s Pizza scene that’s in the process of being mopped up, ensuring that the deputies are supported as they regulate traffic on another busy Santa Clarita street, Sierra Highway — again, emphasizing the themes of safety and camaraderie.   Deputies and officers gather at Chi Chi’s in Canyon Country, following the collision regarding a semi truck running into the back end of the building. Habeba Mostafa/ The Signal While being there for nearly an hour, one could observe that the patrol vehicle is equipped with technology that allows the car to be secure, while also keeping their communication devices on.  The vehicle that deputies are assigned to for their shift is their responsibility and must be ready to have a full tank of gas in the chance of responding to a call.   Evidently having enough gas to make it back to Valencia, nearly in the same spot as the traffic enforcement stop earlier in the day, Turk joins other deputies as two parties involved in a collision exchange information.  Parties involved in a collision in Valencia exchange information near McBean Parkway. Habeba Mostafa/ The Signal Fulfilling his duties by responding to collisions, Turk had yet to respond to his other main form of responsibility — a DUI. However, that was until there was a report of a potential suspect in Saugus, in the plaza off Bouquet Canyon Road and Newhall Ranch Road.   Turk assisted his fellow traffic deputies, while then assuming the role and conducting a field sobriety test. Turk would conduct every step of the field sobriety test by reading the standardized test checklist.  While a preliminary breath sample in the field can be denied, suspects arrested can choose between a blood sample taken at the hospital, or a breathalyzer taken at the station. Before a suspect is booked at the station jail, one could expect a total of at least two hours of standardized procedures.   Deputy Turk conducts a field sobriety test in Saugus. Habeba Mostafa/ The Signal Deputy Turk handcuffs a man in suspicion of driving under the influence in Saugus. Habeba Mostafa/ The Signal In the case that a suspect would refuse to provide evidence through either of the two options, deputies can request a McNeely warrant, forcing the suspect to have blood drawn at the hospital.  On the drive back to the station, with the suspect handcuffed in the back, Turk exhibited the contentedness of a day of guaranteeing the well-being of Santa Clarita residents.   Deputies in the city fulfill their roles as protectors of law-abiding citizens — in a city that many deputies consider their home.    The suspect is taken to Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital to draw a blood sample. Habeba Mostafa/ The Signal Deputy Robert Jensen, the station’s public information officer and community relations deputy, discussed the integration of law enforcement in the community, where deputies mirror being residents, and vice versa.  “We rely on our partners in the public to inform us and keep us informed of things that are happening in the community so that we can better serve them right,” Jensen said. “What we get to do with the ride-along is invite the community into a public safety perspective that hopefully restores and builds not only their trust in law enforcement, but also their understanding.”  According to Jensen, the ride-along program is thriving and has seen over 50 passengers a month, with the only minors being those from the Explorer Program.   Many deputies, including Jensen, participated in ride-alongs before going into law enforcement. Jensen became inspired by how eye-opening and detailed the nature of the job really is, even noting that deputies who participated in previous ride-alongs are now partners with the deputies who originally introduced them to the world of law enforcement.  “A lot of [passengers] are applicants for the Sheriff’s Department, but then a lot of those also are community members that are looking to expand their knowledge of law enforcement, understand it a little bit better and know what they can do to better serve their community,” Jensen said. “When I went on my first ride-along, my eyes were wide open to just how detailed and accurate law enforcement had to be in their investigations, their interviews, their reports, their writing in court testimonies. I’m a little bit of a lawyer now because I have such a working knowledge of what the laws are.”  Jensen encourages residents to experience a ride-along at least once, in an effort to bridge gaps of misinformation and learn about deputies’ roles, while being at the forefront of their community.  “This is a community that we care about, and we’re dedicated to keeping the streets clean and the community safe,” Jensen said. “But a lot of times, people build those things off of one side, so the ride-along allows that wall to come down and say, ‘No, I put myself in that situation. I’ve seen it firsthand.’ It kind of helps bridge that gap a little bit between the community and law enforcement.”  Not only is the ride-along experience informative — it also allows one to learn about the enjoyment of interacting with the community firsthand, according to Jensen.  “I want people to know that serving our community and riding around, meeting different people, interacting with different sections of the community, it’s fun, and we love what we do,” Jensen said. “The police are the community, and the community is the police. We live here. We love this community.”  If interested, contact your local sheriff’s station to schedule or to inquire about ride-along availability at forms.santa-clarita.com/Forms/ride-a-long.  The post Protecting the community, as members of the community  appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.