ALTADENA - Colleagues, friends and neighbors Thursday bid farewell to Los Angeles County sheriff's Capt. Joe Gutierrez after his five years of service to the community.

"The years have gone by very quickly," said Gutierrez, sitting outside the station at a barbecue celebration attended by deputies and community members. "I have established many friendships and acquaintances and I am sorry to leave that, but I am excited to begin this new assignment."

Gutierrez will soon begin overseeing a team of detectives in the department's Special Victims Unit, which investigates physical and sexual child abuse, as well as monitoring and tracking sexual predators to ensure they comply with their probation.

Certificates and plaques were given to the captain by representatives of county Supervisor Mike Antonovich, state Sen. Jack Scott, D-Pasadena, as well as by various community groups including the Altadena Clergy Council and the Sheriff's Support Group of Altadena.

"It seems like just the other day I came here," Gutierrez told the group. "Five years is a longer rotation than usual, but now these years have gone by. I want to thank everybody for their extraordinary cooperation and the commanders at headquarters for not meddling and allowing us the freedom we need."

Sgt. Albert Pelaez, who has been at the station for more than two years, said the captain will "be missed."

"He's very pro-active," said Pelaez, a gang expert. "Sometimes he goes out in a patrol car to work the streets. He's almost like having another partner."

Pelaez said Gutierrez's open-door policy set the tone for his leadership style and that the captain consistently maintained an interest in the community.

"From day one, he made me feel comfortable," said Detective Ron Hernandez, who transferred to Altadena about a year ago. "He let me do my job and I appreciate that."

Joanne Steinbacher, 78, and Cue MacKenzie, 89, residents of Altadena since 1952 and 1960, respectively, said the captain's time at the station was "too short."

"He always took time to come all the way from Santa Clarita with his wife to our summer concerts at Farnsworth Park," said Steinbacher.

"We love Joe," said MacKenzie. "He's so good, so friendly, so helpful."

Then it was back to business as usual for most station employees, who will soon welcome their new supervisor, Capt. Roosevelt Blow.

mary.gurton@sgvn.com

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