The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office welcomed six new custody deputies upon their graduation from the Allan Hancock CORE Custody Deputy Academy.

The custody deputies were sworn in by Sheriff Bill Brown, just before the graduation ceremony on Aug. 23.

CORE Custody Academy Class #17 members stand attention with Sheriff Bill Brown. (Courtesy photo)
Sheriff Bill Brown, center, gave the keynote address to the graduates of CORE Custody Academy Class #17. (Courtesy photo)

Brown gave the keynote speech for the CORE Custody Academy Class #17 that included Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office Custody Deputies Justin Albicker-Davies, Raymond “Lamar” Dawson, Cedric Garrett, Andrew Reyes, Sara Rodriguez, and Emily Vasquez.

Dawson earned the distinction of Class Valedictorian; Albicker-Davies was presented the Santa Maria Elks Lodge Leadership Award; and Reyes received the Ron Battles Most Inspirational award from the Deputy Sheriff’s Association.

Brown encouraged the graduates to guard their careers by living up to the standards and expectations set by the Sheriff’s Office.

“Don’t sacrifice a thousand tomorrows for a few todays, and don’t settle for a little life. Live with purpose and for significance,” he said.

The class of recruits completed 260 hours of instruction, which included emergency planning in a custody facility, report writing, ethics, investigation procedures, classification of inmates, contraband detection, arrest and control, physical training, and direct supervision training.

Those interested in a career in law enforcement or know someone who is, can visit SBSheriff.org to apply.