San Bernardino Sun

A special thank you to Nan for finding the article and Debra for sending and typing the article out for me!!

THE SUN - Saturday, July 12, 2003
DEPUTIES ACT FOR THE CAMERA
SB PHOTO SESSION PART OF A NATIONAL ETHICS CAMPAIGN
By Joe Nelson, Staff Writer

SAN BERNARDINO -- It wasn't the backlot of Universal Studios, but the Sheriff's Department's Third Street headquarters on Friday had the makings of a Hollywood production -- blood, sex and all.

There were cameramen and makeup artists, props and lots of bottled water.

On hand to assist were a pair of pros" '70's pop star Bobby Sherman and "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers" producer Ronnie Hadar, both reserve deputies for the department.

Scenarios played out before the cameras as if they were right out of an episode of a TV police drama. A deputy struggles with his partner to keep him from pummeling a blooded, violent suspect. A deputy makes sexual advances on a female Explorer. A deputy tries to prevent his partner from overzealous pursuit of a suspect.

The simulations were for the sake of getting some good photos for posters illustrating the split-second decisions many officers and deputies have to make to keep from crossing the line while on the job.

It was part of a national law enforcement ethics campaign sponsored by the Sheriff's Department and the International Association of Chiefs of Police, using posters to illustrate ethical challenges.

The posters with the likenesses of the San Bernardino County sheriff's deputies will be displayed by law enforcement agencies across the nation.

"This agency has the pleasure of putting this together and doing these posters," said department Deputy Keith Bushey, who helped coordinate the ethics campaign. "Ethics is probably the No. 1 priority of police officers and sheriff's deputies across the nation.

In a conference room at sheriff's headquarters, makeup artist Sabine Howard gave Deputy Corey Emon a bruised and bloodied eye, using makeup instead of her fists.

Emon would later play the bad guy in a simulated struggle with Sherman and Deputy Sarkis Ohannessian outside the station.

Emon lay in the dirt next to a tree handcuffed, while Sherman kept Ohannessian from slamming his fist into Emon's face. Then, Sherman had a chance to subdue bad guy Emon in a choke hold.

"I'm going to need a shower," said a sweaty, dirty Emon following the photo shoot. "I've been in fights with a few of my crooks, but never like this."

Sherman, a sheriff's reserve deputy for four years and a reserve officer for the Los Angeles Police Department for 10 years, got a kick out of it.

"It's comic relief, but it's a great campaign," he said, adding that similar scenarios, though maybe not as dramatic, have played out from time to time in San Bernardino Superior Court, his beat as a reserve deputy.

"But we don't get a second take," Sherman said.

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