Turturici says he has learned and grown under Sheriff Curtis
Hill
In the past six years, Undersheriff Pat Turturici has had the
opportunity to learn and grow under Sheriff Curtis Hill.
Turturici has watched the sheriff’s office budget. He noted how
he has interacted with all the deputies. He even has his own
office.
And Turturici has experienced how the office runs.
He takes credit for saving the sheriff’s office nearly $2.7
million by cutting overtime.
”
I’ve eliminated all overtime and we still provide a great
service to the community,
”
he said.
Turturici has also spent time doing Hill’s duties when he wasn’t
available, he said. In essence, he has had
”
on-the-job training.
”
Turturici says he has learned and grown under Sheriff Curtis Hill
In the past six years, Undersheriff Pat Turturici has had the opportunity to learn and grow under Sheriff Curtis Hill.
Turturici has watched the sheriff’s office budget. He noted how he has interacted with all the deputies. He even has his own office.
And Turturici has experienced how the office runs.
He takes credit for saving the sheriff’s office nearly $2.7 million by cutting overtime.
“I’ve eliminated all overtime and we still provide a great service to the community,” he said.
Turturici has also spent time doing Hill’s duties when he wasn’t available, he said. In essence, he has had “on-the-job training.”
“I’m ready to step into sheriff today. I don’t need to be trained – I’m ready now,” Turturici said.
And with Hill’s announcement of his retirement late last year, Turturici believed now was time to run for sheriff.
“I’ve wanted to be sheriff since I was a young man,” he said. “Working at the sheriff’s office, I’ve been able to work for two great sheriffs and I want to contribute to my community, somewhere where I grew up.”
Despite his noted respect for Hill, he said the office needs to make sure it keeps a better eye on its employees to help prevent another situation like the one with former deputy Michael Rodrigues, convicted last year of rape, he said.
“We need to continue to train our officers on … ethics and make sure they are being supervised more closely,” Turturici said. “And that’s something that I will do when I become sheriff.”
And Turturici has the ability to learn from Hill’s past mistakes, he said.
“I would have never promoted Rodrigues to sergeant,” Turturici said. “That was a big mistake.”
Turturici will be more careful on who he promotes, he said.
For Turturici, a lifelong resident of San Benito County, running for sheriff was a quick-and-easy decision.
“Nobody had to talk me into running for sheriff – it’s something I’ve always wanted to do,” he said.
If elected, Turturici would make his priority to prevent gang growth in the area, he said. He would inform kids, when they are young, of the dangers of joining a gang.
“We need to invest in our youth in the community – they are our future,” he said. “I’m going to try and educate our youth about joining gangs.”
Turturici already has a head start. In the past year, the sheriff’s office has created the Gang Resistance Education and Training program with the support of Turturici.
The GREAT program is a national institution that is school based and supported by law enforcement agencies throughout the country. The program’s goal is to help prevent youth violence and gang membership.
In Hollister, the program is directed toward teaching kids that it’s OK to tell their parents and teachers when they are being bullied, Turturici said.
The program last 10 to 12 weeks and the sheriff’s office is expected to graduate nearly 500 students this year, he said.
He hopes that down the road, the program will prevent the 500 kids from contributing to gang growth in the community, he said.
The sheriff’s office also needs to make a commitment to reach out to the kids’ parents, he said.
“We need to reach out to the parents,” Turturici said. “That the toughest part – we need to communicate with them the threat their kids are in danger of joining gangs.”
If the gangs grow, the department needs to be prepared to crack down on them, he said.
“We have to go out and arrest gang members that are causing the crime in the community,” Turturici said. “And when they do get arrested, they are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
To do the job well, Turturici believes the consolidation of the Hollister Police Department and sheriff’s office would bring the community a better service, he said.
“We could save millions of dollars if we were able to consolidate – we would be able to cut out some of the fat,” Turturici said.
