The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office welcomed and congratulated 13 academy graduates at the Allan Hancock College Basic Law Enforcement Academy graduation on Wednesday.

Sheriff Bill Brown sits with 13 new sheriff's deputies who are wearing green khaki uniforms and white gloves.
Sheriff Bill Brown with 13 new sheriff’s deputies who graduated from California Peace Officers Standards and Training at Hancock College. Credit: Courtesy photo

The class of 26 recruits completed a comprehensive 22-week course program in California Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST), with 862-hours of course instruction that included communication skills, report writing, laws of arrest, search and seizure, firearms, ethics, investigation procedures, patrol techniques, arrest and control, physical training, CPR/First Aid, and emergency vehicle operations.

New deputies welcomed by the Sheriff’s Office are Zeke Alleman, Mitchell Cunningham, Ciana Garcia, Blake Goodwin, Israel Gutierrez, Hugo Hernandez, Christian Navarro, Daniel Nova, Erica Pereyra, Jourdan Richman, Alyssa Torres, Wilhelm Wallace, and Elijah Wilkinson.

The ceremony, which marks an early milestone in the deputies’ careers, was shared with close family members and included a badge-pinning ceremony where recruits have their badges pinned on their uniforms by their mothers, fathers, and significant others.

During the graduation ceremony, Santa Barbara Sheriff’s recruits were honored with achievement awards.

Deputy Nova earned Valedictorian, the Academics Award, and Arrest and Control Award. Deputy Pereyra eared the Leadership and Report Writing awards. Deputy Alleman was awarded the Leo Ortega Most Inspirational, Physical Fitness and Emergency Vehicle Operations awards.  

For more about a career in law enforcement, apply at SBSheriff.org.