Camarillo Chamber to honor 30-year veteran of the force
By Eliav Appelbaum eliav@theacorn.com

Geoff Dean

Geoff Dean began his career writing parking tickets in Thousand Oaks.

Fast forward 30 years, Dean is a chief deputy for the Ventura County Sheriff's Department and oversees the patrol services department with its 420 employees and a budget of $85 million.

"Back then, I was just excited about becoming a deputy," said Dean about his time as a 20yearold cadet. "Each time I got promoted, 'This is good. I'm never going to get promoted from this rank.' Then you grow to develop an attitude, 'Okay, maybe it's time for some new challenges.'"

Dean, 51, was recently honored as Public Servant of the Year by the Camarillo Chamber of Commerce as part of the Top Ten Community Awards which honor leaders in the city. The winners will be recognized at an awards dinner Sat., March 8 at Spanish Hills Country Club.

The longtime Camarillo resident remains excited about going to work every day.

"I'm really lucky," he said. "I've been doing this job for 30 years, and I love going to work every day- and they pay me to do it."

As one of four chief deputies to Sheriff Bob Brooks, Dean is in charge of patrol and field operations, ongoing review of crime statistics and officer performances and general investigations, except for homicides.

Dean, who has been a chief deputy for nearly six years, said the sheriff's department faces big challenges in the coming year as statewide budget cuts mean the department will need to provide the same quality service to the county with potentially fewer resources.

"We have some real challenges coming in the future," Dean said. "We're going to have to rise up and meet those challenges."

The chief deputy said Camarillo may not be hit as hard, or at all, because the city contracts the department for services. It's the Camarillo City Council that decides how much it can afford to spend on the city's police department.

Dean's colleagues and friends said he is very deserving of the Chamber's honor.

"Geoff is exceedingly bright and energetic," said Brooks, who was a patrol deputy when he first met Dean, a cadet at the time. "He's proactive, and he's a problem solver. He's done some very good things for us."

His friend Bart Stern said of Dean, "He has a really funny sense of humor, a quick wit, and he's able to make people laugh."

Dean and Stern met as members of the Camarillo Noontime Rotary Club. "I imagine those are great qualities to have in the sheriff's department because they deal with such serious issues. I imagine he makes the work seem rewarding and fun as possible considering they put their lives on the line every day. He's a very honorable, straightforward and charismatic person."

Dean's wife of 21 years, Marlene, is a math professor at Oxnard College. Their daughter Lindsey, 19, plays softball at DePaul University in Chicago on a scholarship, and their son Andy, 16, is a sophomore honor student and two-sport athlete at Adolfo Camarillo High School.

A graduate of Simi Valley High in 1974, Dean also worked in the sheriff's department's special enforcement detail, a unit that included 10 years on the SWAT team. He also spent a tour working in the county jail.

While a deputy, he has patrolled the streets of Thousand Oaks, Moorpark and the unincorporated areas surrounding Simi Valley.

He was named lieutenant and served as the manager of the Thousand Oaks Traffic Bureau in 1989 and has also served as chief of police in Moorpark.

In 1996, Dean worked with the sheriff's crime suppression unit, an assignment he considered one of his most memorable postings. The unit handled gang violence and paid special attention to particular problems throughout the county.

Dean has also been active volunteering his time with many groups in addition to the Rotary Club. His involvement includes serving on the board of directors for Casa Pacifica and coaching for Camarillo PONY baseball and Pumas girls' softball.

"I just love my job," Dean said. "Every day is challenging. I love interacting with people I work with. I work with some incredible people in the community all the time."