Sheriff’s Pico Rivera Station celebrates 40 years of service

PICO RIVERA — Law enforcement officials from the past and present gathered Wednesday to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the sheriff’s Pico Rivera Station.
Sheriff’ Lee Baca was joined at the ceremony by other sheriff’s officials including station Capt. James Thornton Jr., who currently heads the station, as well as five past captains.
Attendees from all generations were invited to tour the station following the ceremony, “comparing its current state to the days of old,” Thornton said.
“This is like coming home,. This is a great place ot have worked,” said former captain Larry Anderson, who led the station from 1978 to 1980. “I just appreciate being a part of this family.”
Juan Rodriguez, who served at the station’s captain from 1997 to 2004, also shared fond memories of serving the people of Pico Rivera.
“I loved it,” he said. “I thought it was the best community where we could possibly work.”
“I miss it dearly,” he said. “I miss it every day. I love this station. I love this community and I’ll always treasure it from the bottom of my heart.”
Patrol cars from the station’s early days, including a 1970 Plymouth Fury and a 1978 Chevrolet Nova, were on display next to their modern counterparts
Sheriff Baca credited the current and former captains with making the sheriff’s Pico Rivera Station what it is today.
The station itself is only a building, he said.
“(The captains) are the ones who built the sheriff’s department’s legacy here,” Baca said.
He also commended city officials for their partnership with the sheriff’s department over the past four decades.
“What we’ve had is a great relationship that is built upon our city’s leadership,” the sheriff said. “We obviously enjoy working for this great city of Pico Rivera.
Baca added that after 40 years of service, the station was growing crowded and it planned to look into possibilities for expansion.

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