New chief of Sheriff's substation to be fourth in four years

When Lt. Robert Haley pulls a chair up behind the commander’s desk at the Fallbrook Sheriff’s Substation on Monday, May 23, he will be the fourth in as many years to take charge of the territory. Former Fallbrook commander Lt. Mike Barnett was promoted to captain and moved to the San Marcos station in April. Of the frequent changes over the years, Haley said there is a positive benefit.

“We [commanders] all bring a different set of ideas and eyes to every situation,” said Haley, who has over 25 years of law enforcement experience. “Each community is so different, we have to be adaptive.”

Haley, who has most recently been stationed in Alpine, is an Escondido resident. He is particularly adamant about the importance of community-oriented policing and problem solving (COPPS) programs and says he is looking forward to working with Fallbrook’s dedicated COPPS deputies.

“The citizens have a grasp not only on crime but what affects their quality of life; their perspectives are very important,” said Haley. “There are some things [law enforcement officers] think are important and the citizens don’t; and vice versa.”

The Fallbrook substation is organizationally under the umbrella of the Vista station. Therefore, Haley will be under the supervision of Captain Scott Rossall, a 31-year veteran of the department.

“Bob Haley is a solid cop and a great person; he’s a good people person and a smart man,” said Rossall. “He worked at the Vista station for quite a while and is very familiar with North County.” While working out of Vista, Haley worked overtime frequently as a sergeant in the Fallbrook command.

In discussing consistency of law enforcement efforts in Fallbrook, Rossall says he is looking to have Haley continue certain efforts started by Lt. Phil Brust (who served in Fallbrook from March 2009 to August 2010).

“I think we need to go back a little bit;

put a lot of great things in place, particularly in starting up the COPPS unit again,” said Rossall. “Mike Barnett continued to build enforcement and I see no reason why [Haley] can’t step in and do the same; I would expect no less.” Rossall said he sees similarities in the leadership styles of Brust, Barnett and Haley.

“Of course, [Haley] will put his own spin on things as he takes his opportunity to fine tune the operation,” he added.

In his tenure, Brust put power into monitoring gang activity by conducting law enforcement sweeps. He accomplished this by utilizing funds available from the Edward Byrne Memorial State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance Grant Program designed to create safer communities.

Rossall, with 14 years specialized experience in gangs and narcotics, is credited as one of the organizers of the North County Gang Task Force. He said focused attention must continue on gang-related activity.

“There is a problem; you do have gang members in [Fallbrook]; that’s just a fact,” said Rossall. “There is no community that is immune to that. It’s how [law enforcement] deals with it that determines how effective we are.”

The captain said the pressure on gangs and their members, and drug activity will continue.

“Gangs and drugs go hand in hand,” explained Rossall. “Gang members are criminals; thugs; and need to be treated accordingly. The way they victimize people upsets me. Selling drugs is a quick way for them to make money; that’s how they support themselves.”

“The gang task force has done good work up in Fallbrook; the attention we are giving to that crowd, those individuals, is appropriate; it will not wane,” said Rossall. “We will continue to provide resources [to Fallbrook] and more as Bob Haley evaluates the situation and makes requests.”

While the Byrne grant is said to have been depleted, it appears the desire to continue the pressure on gang activity has not, insisted the incoming Fallbrook commander.

“We will not compromise our services due to lack of money; we just have to be more creative,” said Haley. “Resources are easily available for all issues.” It is Haley’s determination that makes Rossall feel he is the right man to take command of Fallbrook.

“As a department, we try to put the right people in the right place; most of the time we hit the mark,” said Rossall.

In discussing the somewhat frequent change of commanders in Fallbrook in recent years, Undersheriff Jim Cooke acknowledged that reassignments have been more frequent than usual lately.

“It is not unique to Fallbrook; it is happening a lot throughout the [Sheriff’s] organization,” said Cooke. “We have had a lot of movement because the department is experiencing significant turnover through retirements.” Cooke said he and the rest of the administration are aware of the need to maintain consistency in law enforcement efforts.

“We are obviously concerned with the needs of the [Fallbrook] community; we don’t move people willy-nilly,” said Cooke. “[Fallbrook] is going to get a very good lieutenant in Bob Haley. The styles may be different from lieutenant to lieutenant, but the Sheriff’s mission that these individuals are charged with performing is very consistent across the board.” Cooke said every lieutenant understands their mission.

“It’s not like you recreate the wheel at every station; you have parameters and the captain they report to has been engaged with the former commander,” he added. “The captain provides consistency of leadership and in this case Scott Rossall is an amazing guy.” While many may consider frequent change to be a negative, Cooke disagrees.

“An average of a year with a particular commander may not be ideal, but there is good and bad with change,” said Cooke. “When people sit in a particular assignment year after year, sometimes it proves good to get fresh eyes. Fallbrook is a very important community in this organization.”

Rossall said he is pleased with the team working the Fallbrook beat.

“The crew in Fallbrook is rock solid,” he said. “They are doing tremendous police work. The passion they have for it is very refreshing.”

Haley said he is not only looking forward to working with those assigned to the Fallbrook command, but the residents that live here.

“It’s a great community,” said Haley. “I particularly like the fact that there are a lot of community organizations and have heard that the citizenry is incredibly supportive of the Sheriffs department; that’s a definite benefit.”

History of commanders assigned to Fallbrook Sheriff’s Substation since 2000

Jan. 1, 2000 – Nov. 1, 2001 – Kathleen Fulmer

Nov. 2, 2001 – June 10, 2005 – Clyde Kodadek

June 10, 2005 - May 11, 2007 – Grant Burnett

May 11, 2007 – March 12, 2009 – Alex Dominguez

March 13, 2009 – August 13, 2010 – Phil Brust

August 13, 2010 – April 22, 2011 – Mike Barnett

May 23, 2011 – Robert Haley