Senior Deputy James Carovano said the first time he walked the streets of Carpinteria, he knew he didn’t want to leave. Now he is giving back by helping strengthen communication between the community and law enforcement.
“It’s a small town, I love that. You’ve got everything, access to the beach, agriculture, and just the friendliness of the community. People still wave here when they see law enforcement go by. Especially the kids. You don’t see that in a lot of places nowadays,” said Deputy Carovano.
Deputy Carovano is a five-year veteran of the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office, which provides law enforcement services to Carpinteria. The Sheriff’s Office announced he will serve as Carpinteria’s new Community Resource Deputy in a Tuesday news release.
Before he joined the Sheriff’s Office, Deputy Carovano served in the United States Coast Guard for four years of active duty and four years in the reserves. He also spent time working as a park ranger at Yosemite National Park during his time in the reserves.
“I have over 12 years in law enforcement,” said Deputy Carovano who explained he served in a law enforcement capacity for the Coast Guard, so continuing working with the Sheriff’s Office was a natural fit.
It also gave him the ability to settle down in the community with his wife of twelve years and their three children.
He added that when he first joined the Sheriff’s Office Carpinteria had a team of deputies that were assigned to community outreach. That position was eventually eliminated.
“After this spot kind of went away for a little while, I noticed the relationship between the Sheriff’s Office and the community kind of wasn’t there as much. I thought this would be a great time to outreach and even bring in stuff I see in other parts of the county to Carpinteria,” said Deputy Carovano who added that he is excited to bring programs such as the Sheriff’s Explorers program and Citizen’s Academy back to Carpinteria.
He is also researching ways to bring an approachable law enforcement presence into community events like the Avocado Festival and the Rods and Roses Car show.
In the short term, Deputy Carovano is working to obtain electric bicycles for deputies to use on patrol to get them out of their cars and make them more visible to the community.
“This’ll help us bring that green factor as well, especially in a beach community like Carpinteria. There are a lot of electric bicycles out here already. Seeing our deputies on them would be an amazing thing,” he said.
“This position gives me the opportunity to build on the relationship that we already have and make it better and get law enforcement back in the community. “
Deputy Carovano’s responsibilities also include visiting local schools to provide build a relationship between students, staff and parents and law enforcement.
He is a supporter of “Community Oriented Policing” and plans to attend various events within the Carpinteria community. His training, which includes a Field Training Officer certification, will also assist in his new role.
