Deputy Cleans Up Area, Helps Latino Community
Thursday, January 19, 2006
By Serena Maria Daniels
Signal Staff Writer
hen working the community relations unit deputies cover just about everything, except traditional police work, said Deputy Joe Trejo.
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Whether he is cleaning up the traffic problems in downtown Newhall, keeping an eye on the local shops or helping local families in distress, Trejo has become a fixture in the business and Latino communities of Newhall.
Trejo was honored by the Old Town Newhall Association on Wednesday for his contributions to the community's redevelopment effort.
As one of a few Spanish-speaking deputies in the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff's Station, his work started 11 years ago to assist with the growing Latino community in the Santa Clarita Valley.
Since then, his work has blossomed, Trejo said, to include helping local business owners deal with a fledgling neighborhood and work toward revitalization.
His presence has helped the neighborhood tremendously, said Victor Feany, a member of the Old Town Newhall Association and owner of Newhall Hardware.
"He's well liked, and if he's standing on the street just about everybody will stop and say hello," Feany said.
Over the years, Trejo, whose small office is inside the Santa Clarita Valley Community Center, has helped clean up the downtown Newhall area by resolving numerous problems with traffic and parking, and on several occasions dressing up as Santa Claus and catching motorists who do not stop when he crosses the street, Feany said.
Downtown association Chairman Larry Bird said there were a number of problems with crime in the neighborhood before Trejo was deployed at the substation.
"I think that Joe was responsible for cleaning this place up in the time he's been here," Bird said.
Aside from his work in the business community, Trejo is responsible for working with residents in Newhall, many of whose primary language is Spanish.
He helps people resolve family disputes and reports crimes that many Latinos may be otherwise hesitant to report.
"Latinos are very scared to talk to the police," Trejo said. "We're finding that we'd rather have someone report a crime than have them worry about their immigration status."
Despite his success in the community, Trejo does admit it is hard to be one of only a few Spanish-speaking deputies in the Santa Clarita Valley.
"Sometimes, you just want to help everybody, but there's nothing that can be done," Trejo said.
Still, he is hopeful that his work in the area will inspire younger generations to work in the Sheriff's department.
"A lot of these folks," Trejo said, "have become my friends."
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