Local law enforcement recognized for heroism and service

By Camille DeVaul · Thu Mar 19 2026

Sheriff's Office ceremony honors deputies, correctional staff, and volunteers for lifesaving actions and investigative achievements

SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY — On Thursday, March 12, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office held its Annual Awards Ceremony at the San Luis Obispo Veterans Memorial Hall, honoring members of the department for outstanding service, exceptional performance, and acts of bravery during 2025. The event recognized deputies, detectives, correctional staff, civilian personnel, and volunteers for their dedication to public safety and commitment to the community.

"We have an embarrassment of riches as far as the phenomenal work that our men and women do on the daily basis," SLO County Undersheriff Chad Nicholson shared to open the ceremony. "We, in law enforcement, have a bad habit of not putting out the word every single day of all the positive things that are done. Life-changing things that are done by our men and women every single day ... I want to congratulate everybody on the awards that they're going to receive today, all the employees of the year, all of our volunteers and their years of service."

The department’s Employees of the Year for 2025 were Correctional Deputy Joel Avila, Dispatcher III Clayton Cullen, and Deputy Jacob Gersh. Each demonstrated exceptional leadership, professionalism, and dedication in their respective roles, consistently going above and beyond to support both colleagues and the community.

Among the highest honors presented was the Medal of Valor, awarded to Deputy Bryan Martinez Guzman for his courageous response to a shooting incident near Templeton High School. During the event, Martinez confronted an armed suspect who had fired at deputies, successfully subduing the individual and preventing further harm.

Several deputies and senior deputies, including Tyler Hammon, Jared Hamman, Jerrod Place, Mitchell Fessler, Dennis Coffee, Nicholas Jones, Joshua McClenathen, Dillon Little, and Matthew Shields, received Distinguished Service Medals for their coordinated and professional actions during the same incident.

The Life Saving Medal was awarded to Correctional Deputies Misael Quintanar-Franco, Kobe Mohler, and Domonic Ponce, along with Deputies Diego Segovia, Nicholas Curley, and Nicholas Chapman. These awards recognized swift responses in life-threatening emergencies, including performing CPR, preventing suicide attempts, and providing critical assistance during medical crises.

Detectives Spencer Garrett and Jacob Gersh received Meritorious Service Medals for their investigative work on a complex missing person case that ultimately led to the recovery of a victim and the arrest of two suspects in a homicide investigation. Their efforts involved extensive coordination, evidence collection, and careful follow-up to bring resolution to a challenging case.

Software Engineer Tanisha Basrai received the Distinguished Service Award for her contributions to the Sheriff’s Office IT operations, including the implementation of innovative systems supporting the CalAIM initiative. Her work improved departmental efficiency and resulted in significant resource savings for the county.

In addition to operational awards, the ceremony also recognized years of dedicated service. Volunteer milestones included David Running (10 years), John Hofstra (25 years), Jason Waddell (30 years), Jens Hansen and Mark Calcagno (40 years), and Steven Frank (45 years). Staff service awards were presented to Henry Jenkins, Tyler Hammon, and Amanda Guillory (5 years), as well as Shawna Schaffer and Rebecca Waddell (25 years).

The ceremony highlighted the professionalism, courage, and commitment demonstrated by all members of the SLO County Sheriff’s Office.

SLO County Sheriff Ian Parkinson said, "There's no better moment than today for this ceremony, to honor the dedication of employees and the amount of years of service, to recognize specific events of heroism, for everybody here to actually enjoy it, and hear the story, every year is probably one of my highlights. They make the sheriff's office proud, they make the community proud and they certainly make me proud."

Feature Image: Several members of the San Luis Obispo Sheriff's Office were honored during the department's Annual Awards Ceremony on March 12 at the SLO Veterans Memorial Hall. Photo courtesy of the SLO Sheriff's Office