From left, Ventura County Sheriff Bill Ayub, Lt. Christopher Gillespie and Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown gather together. Sheriff Ayub represented Lt. Gillespie’s father, retired Ventura County Sheriff John Gillespie at a ceremony, where Lt. Gillespie was promoted.
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office welcomed three new employees and congratulated five custody employees on their promotions in an outdoor ceremony Jan. 31 at the Sheriff’s Office Training Bureau.
At the event, attended by family, friends and colleagues, Sheriff Bill Brown introduced the newest sheriff’s office team members: Raquel Esparza, utility worker; Gesa Figueroa, park ranger; and Rosario Reyes-Garcia, accountant III.
Custody branch staff members who were promoted to custody sergeants are David Bouslaugh Jr., David Harman and Matthew Sheffield. Christopher Gillespie was promoted to custody lieutenant, and Shawn Lammer was promoted to custody commander.
Each of the promotees reaffirmed their oath of office in their new leadership roles and were presented with certificates of appointment.
Special guest Sheriff Bill Ayub from Ventura County was in attendance, representing Lt. Gillespie’s father, retired Ventura County Sheriff John Gillespie, who lives out of state and was unable to attend the ceremony.
During the welcoming, Sheriff Brown said that “SHERIFF stands for Service, Honor, Ethics, Respect, Integrity, Fairness and Faithfulness. Live up to those values, and you will have an exciting, enjoyable and rewarding career.
“The caliber and quality of our people is such that the competition for promotion is always very tough,” he added. “Those who emerge successfully from this rigorous process are to be congratulated, and that is what today is all about.”
email: mmcmahon@newspress.com
