|
MOHAVE COUNTY NEWS RELEASE Monday, May 14, 2012 Public Information (928) 753-0729 (928) 753-0729 Photo: Craig Lee, Paul Hernandez Photo courtesy Mohave County Mohave County Juvenile Detention Supervisor Craig Lee (left) joins Juvenile Detention Officer II Paul Hernandez, who has been named Arizona's Detention Officer of the Year for 2011, for an interview in Kingman Monday, May 14. Hernandez named state Detention Officer of the Year KINGMAN * The Arizona Chief Probation Officers Association has selected Mohave County Juvenile Detention Officer (JDO) II Paul Hernandez as the state Detention Officer of the Year for 2011. "Mohave County Probation submitted some very strong candidates for awards," Chief Probation Officer Darrell Reeves said. "Besides Paul, we nominated Deputy Probation Officer (DPO) II Lee Ann Cecil and DPO II Kyle Smith for Line Officer of the Year, DPO II Josh Frisby for Supervisor of the Year and Surveillance Officer II Art Mayo for Employee of the Year. All of our department's nominations were solid contenders and quite worthy of further recognition. I am very proud of Paul's accomplishments and I congratulate him on this statewide recognition." "Paul has worked at Juvenile Detention for six years," Juvenile Detention Supervisor Craig Lee said. "He has been a JDO II for about four years. Paul has a lot of responsibilities. He runs the shifts when there is no supervisor on duty." Hernandez has been recognized for his work at Mohave County and "now he has won Detention Officer of the Year for the entire state," Lee said. "He is a great officer and a great person. The kids really respect him. Even when they are being disciplined, they understand and they look up to him for his guidance." "I found out about it (award) on Wednesday (May 9)," Hernandez said, "and I was overwhelmed. Just to be nominated by my supervisor was enough for me. I was blown away. I've never had anything like this in my working career." Hernandez lives in Kingman with his wife, Brook, and three daughters, Cheyenne, 19, Alana, 6, and Alex, 3. "I have kids and I love working with kids," he said. "Anything I can do to persuade them to change their lives around, counsel them on joining the military when they complete high school, I will do. I try to be there for the kids as well as my coworkers when they need assistance or guidance." Prior to working for Mohave County, Hernandez worked at the Little Debbie distribution center. Before that he spent four years in the U.S. Navy. "I was born and raised in La Mirada, Calif., and moved to Kingman in 1989," he said. "I went to high school at La Mirada High until 1989, when we moved to Kingman. I graduated from Kingman High in 1990. While growing up in La Mirada, I played youth football, a year of Little League and a year of La Mirada Association baseball. While going to high school, I also worked at the local McDonalds and Burger King." On a typical day at the detention facility, Hernandez will drive to the County Adult Detention Facility to pick up breakfast for the youths. "The kids then get cleaned up and go to school," he said. "They break for lunch and then go back to school. We do bookings and releases and sometimes transports to medical appointments or court. I interact with the kids and try to mentor them as much as I can." The school is very important to the goals of the facility. "Our GED (General Educational Development) program is doing very well," Lee said. "Since we started that program in 2009, we have presented 83 GED diplomas." Hernandez is also the Juvenile Detention Center's gang liaison officer for Gang Intelligence and Team Enforcement Mission (GITEM) and is a certified Handle With Care instructor. "We teach officers how to control juveniles during a situation without causing injury to the officers or juveniles," he said. "We are certified yearly o n those defense tactics." Youths who do turn their lives around are appreciative of what they have learned at the facility. "One of the things about this job is that we all receive phone calls and letters from kids who have gone through here," Hernandez said. "They tell us how they have turned their lives around, are working or attending college. It is one of the greatest feelings to be out there at Walmart and have a kid come up and tell me how much he or she now understands because of our work here at the center." Hernandez credits his bosses for establishing quality leadership. "I give thanks to my supervisor, Mr. Lee, who nominated me," he said. "It starts with him. He is the one I learn from. He is my teacher/mentor. I take what I learn from him and pass it on. I want everyone to be able to be a great officer. It all starts from the top. I also thank (Administrator) Ms. Sheila Flipse, (Assistant Chief Probation Officer) Ms. Elaine Grissom and Mr. Darrell Reeves. And my coworkers are great. "I never wake up thinking I don't want to come to work," he said. "I always want to come to work. I can't see doing anything else than what I am doing. My goal is to be able to continue here until I retire. I love my job." |
