New sheriff commander has experience to improve service

Rick Monroe

Special to the Village News

Fallbrook is a great town, believes Aldo Hernandez, new commander of the Sheriff Department's substation in Fallbrook.

Still, the lieutenant has plans to improve the law enforcement here.

"There's a lot to address to make it better," he said. "We have great deputies and support, so there's a lot we can accomplish."

Hernandez' experience makes him well-suited for the position.

He joined the Sheriff's Department in 2001 and has a vast amount of experience from serving in the jails, patrol, investigations, narcotics and gangs. Being bilingual also helps.

Last year, he served as a sergeant in charge of an undercover unit assigned to the DEA.

"It was my best experience in life," he said of the work with 10 agents from multiple agencies. "We were able to accomplish amazing work, just like in the movies. That included wire taps, rescuing minor children being trafficked, and serving hundreds of search warrants. We travelled out of the county and even out of state. It was very rewarding."

The Escondido resident said that now he's looking forward to being in a community setting.

"It's like I was in hiding the last couple of years, being in plain clothes," Hernandez said. "I really like the community relations aspect of the job."

Hernandez' second day on his new responsibility was memorable. It was on Sept. 11, and he participated along with the fire chief and a Marine veteran in ringing the bell at the fire station to honor the lives lost in New York on that tragic day 20 years ago.

"I was very honored to be a part of the ceremony and what also made it special was how welcoming people from the community were. As a former Marine, the ceremony was very emotional."

Hernandez grew up in Escondido, graduating from Escondido High School in 1997. The same year, he enlisted and served eight years in the Marines, working in M1A1 battle tanks most of the time.

This is his third position with the Sheriff's Department since becoming a lieutenant in February.

His experience in the drug and gang enforcement details will be useful here, Hernandez said.

"Yes, Fallbrook has a local gang that poses some problems with violent crimes," he said. "It's something we are concerned with and will be addressing."

"There's also a growing concern about Fentanyl abuse," he added. "It's on the rise and it's so dangerous. We're going after anyone dealing or in possession of it and should be able to bring it under control. I've seen it in both the powder and pill form, and believe we have our own problem here in Fallbrook."

Fentanyl is more potent than heroin, Hernandez said, saying his team used to respond to calls about overdose deaths. "Our goal was to bring justice to the families, tracing the provider of the drug," he said.

People take Fentanyl to get high, he said, but it's easy to overdose.

Another problem in Fallbrook is the homeless population. Hernandez said the response of deputies is to help individuals by working with the HART team to find suitable places for the homeless to live and get assistance.

"Some don't want the help and we turn to enforcement," he added.

Crime statistics for the month are significantly lower since his arrival.

"It's because of the people in patrol, nothing to do with me, but it looks good," the lieutenant said.

The numbers for the month, through this Oct. 21 interview, showed 16 assaults, compared to the average of 40 per month. Likewise, burglaries were 3 compared to the average of 13, and vehicle theft was 2 compared to the average of 12. The current numbers are for about 75% of a full month, but they indeed are good.

Thefts from vehicles were stationery with 16 this month compared to the average of 23. Hernandez had the statistics available because earlier in the day he had another community relations meeting with the Fallbrook Community Forum.

As commander of the station, he said he likes the community involvement and meeting with people. He also likes to personally handle any complaints.

The substation covers 137 square miles and in addition to Fallbrook, it includes Bonsall, Rainbow and De Luz. Hernandez said that in rural areas like here, deputies are not assigned to patrol zones, but cover the entire region, focusing on higher density areas.

"Some areas really seem more secure, and we don't visit as often, but people can always call for extra service," he said. "We will respond if we are able, but it's not a guarantee because there may be higher priorities."

As in other unincorporated areas, the Sheriff's Department is responsible for crime, while traffic violations and accidents are handled by the Highway Patrol.

"We have a good relationship with the CHP and back each other up," Hernandez said. "Deputies also have the discretion to handle traffic/speeding if it's flagrant."

The region is patrolled 24/7, he said, and the deputies are supported by a crime suppression team and detectives.

The substation also relies on volunteers, with 20 driving the community in patrol cars marked clearly "Volunteer." Another 10-15 assist by running errands, working the front desk, making vacation checks, traffic assignments, and checking the well-being of residents on behalf of families through the You Are Not Alone program.

The department recently added three volunteers who graduated from the program's academy.

"These are people with a wealth of life knowledge and I love to get to know their experiences," Hernandez said. Hernandez said the former substation commander, Lt. Arnold Aldana, has been transferred to the personnel division at the Sheriff's command center in Kearny Mesa.