San Joaquin County supervisors kick in $25,000 for memorial for fallen deputies

Apr. 24—STOCKTON — After three decades of planning, the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office is ready to break ground on a memorial to honor its fallen deputies.

The San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved placing an item on its May 14 meeting to approve a minimum $25,000 in funding for the project.

Each supervisor would allocate a minimum $5,000 from their respective discretionary funds for the project.

"This is overdue in our county," Supervisor Tom Patti said. "We have so many officers that have proudly served. We have deputies that have given their lives in service. So having a memorial and a tribute to the great men and women who serve this community would be very fitting."

Initially, the board was scheduled to approve $7,500 in discretionary funds Tuesday, with each supervisor contributing $1,500.

The Sheriff's Office would then provide the board with a 19-inch replica of the monument, which depicts a deputy standing over a kneeling colleague, to be displayed somewhere in the County Administration Building.

Plans changed when Supervisor Steve Ding suggested he could raise more funds than Patti for the project by displaying a replica of the monument at Woodbridge Crossing.

"My thing is, I'm getting ready to remove three bronze statues from the restaurant, so I'd love to put a big $7,500 donation there to see if I can beat you and create a little competition," he said.

However, Patti cautioned that because the board was donating public funds to the project, the supervisors could not use the replica for personal display.

Patti then suggested changing the donation amount to a minimum $5,000 from each supervisor if they wanted to raise as much as they could for the project.

Capt. Darryl Labarthe told supervisors Tuesday that plans for a memorial have been discussed since the early 1990s.

He said the project is estimated at about $500,000, and the Sheriff's Office is one-tenth of the way toward its fundraising goal.

"Over the last two years, we've spent a lot of effort getting this project off the ground," he said. "We're now at a point where we are actually ready with permits. We are starting to raise funds, and we believe we can get this off the ground in the next 12 months."

The memorial will be built on the west side of the Sheriff's Office administrative center, 7000 Michael Canlis Blvd., in French Camp.

Labarthe said the memorial will not only be a tribute to fallen deputies, but as a place for the Sheriff's Office to hold its own ceremonies to remember those lost in the line of duty.

"People who gave the ultimate sacrifice serving in the line of duty is important," Supervisor Paul Canepa said. "And I think it's important we, as a county, support our employees. It's not only good for people working, but for people and their families to show that we care about them and (those we've lost)."