RIDING OFF INTO THE SUNSET MOORPARK POLICE CHIEF DICK DIAZ TO WRITE SEMIAUTOBIOGRAPHICAL BOOK AFTER RETIRING AND TRAVELING ROUTE 66.Byline: Angie Valencia-Martinez Staff Writer MOORPARK - Growing up, Moorpark Police Chief Dick Diaz wanted to be a forest ranger forest ranger n. An officer in charge of protecting or managing a section of a public forest. . Maybe it was the gun or Smokey Bear Smokey Bear is a fictional character of the longest running public service campaign in United States history. The character's mission is to raise public awareness to protect America's forests. hat that attracted him. Then again, he camped often as a kid. ``It didn't strike me it was a law enforcement job,'' he said. When he realized his childhood dream required a biology degree, he took a detour that led him to the Marine Corps and then police work. He ends his career in March when he retires as a captain after 36 years with the Ventura County Sheriff's Department The Ventura County Sheriff's Department (VCSD) provides law enforcement for the unincorporated areas of Ventura County, California, USA, as well as several cities within the county. The cities that VCSD serves are Camarillo, Fillmore, Moorpark, Ojai, and Thousand Oaks. , three of them acting as Moorpark's chief. ``I'm still not ready to retire,'' the 58-year-old said, ``but you have to do it sooner or later. I've been a Marine. I've been a cop. That's all I've done my entire life.'' The Fillmore resident was raised in a military family. He served in Vietnam with the Marines as a flight mechanic on an air refueler and cargo plane cargo plane n → avión m de carga cargo plane n → avion-cargo m cargo plane cargo n → . Today, he has a 19-year-old son in the Navy. He went on to graduate from California State University, Fullerton California State University, Fullerton, commonly known as CSUF, CSU Fullerton, or Cal State Fullerton, is a part of the California State University system. The University is located in the city of Fullerton, California, in northern Orange County. , before landing jobs with the police departments in Orange, Signal Hill and Fillmore, when it had its own force. In 1987, he joined the Sheriff's Department, which serves the cities of Moorpark, Camarillo, Fillmore, Ojai and Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks, residential city (1990 pop. 104,352), Ventura co., S Calif., in a farm area; inc. 1964. Avocados, citrus, vegetables, strawberries, and nursery products are grown. , and the unincorporated areas of the county. ``Dick is one of those guys who truly loves being a police officer,'' sheriff's Cmdr. Marty Rouse said. ``He's easy to speak to whether you're a deputy, crook or citizen.'' As a cop, Diaz has worked narcotics narcotics n. 1) techinically, drugs which dull the senses. 2) a popular generic term for drugs which cannot be legally possessed, sold, or transported except for medicinal uses for which a physician or dentist's prescription is required. , motorcycle gangs, traffic and points in between. Or, as Rouse said, ``He's done it all and seen it all.'' Rouse oversees the Moorpark station and said he's familiar with Diaz's work, saying he has a desire to help and mentor others and is a great role model and communicator. One of his passions is helping the disabled. ``It's not unusual for him to take folks under his wing and demonstrate the compassion of a police officer that some people never get to see,'' Rouse said. And although he has a soft side, ``He truly believes in putting crooks behind bars,'' Rouse added. After retiring, Diaz plans to ride the original Route 66 on his motorcycle and then finish a semiautobiographical sem·i·au·to·bi·o·graph·i·cal adj. Of, relating to, or being a work that falls between fiction and autobiography: a semiautobiographical novel. Adj. 1. book about a retired cop who makes the same trip, a piece that will be filled with all sorts of adventures. But most important, he looks forward to spending time "Spending Time" is the first single released by Christian artist Stellar Kart. The lyrics describe the band members desire to spend "more time with God". "Sometimes it’s a real struggle to spend time with God. with his wife, children and grandchildren GRANDCHILDREN, domestic relations. The children of one's children. Sometimes these may claim bequests given in a will to children, though in general they can make no such claim. 6 Co. 16. , he said. He postponed his retirement twice because he didn't want to leave before moving into Moorpark's new $11 million police headquarters, which opened earlier this month. The Police Services Center is his biggest accomplishment, he said. And after working on the project for the past three years, it was only fitting that he wait. However, he refuses to hang anything on the walls of his new office. He'll leave that to the incoming chief. ``I'd like to get a clone of Dick Diaz,'' City Councilman Clint Harper said. ``We all think the world of him. ... We plan to keep him on board in some capacity, maybe as a consultant. We're not going to let him go.'' Angie Valencia-Martinez, (805) 583-7604 angie.valencia(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo Photo: (color) Sheriff's Capt. Dick Diaz, who's worked as Moorpark's police chief for the past three years, will retire in March. Joe Binoya/Special to the Daily News |
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