Press Release
Posted:
Sonoma County – Today, Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-04) announced Deborah Lamaison, the Santa Rosa Maui Recovery Team, and K9 Ghost as the Sonoma County Public Safety Heroes. Each year, Thompson honors law enforcement officers and first responders in our community who have gone above and beyond the call of duty.
“Our first responders and law enforcement are the first line of defense for our communities and work to keep us safe. Our district is home to outstanding public safety officials who go above and beyond in their service, and I am proud to recognize them each year as Public Safety Heroes,” said Thompson. “Deborah Lamaison is a School Resource Officer in Rohnert Park who has made it her mission to engage with students and our community to pursue positive and successful outcomes and foster trust. Ghost, a 2-year-old Malinois is Sonoma County’s first firearm detection K9. With his handler Officer Aaron Gonzales-Campos, Ghost identifies firearms and has helped crack down on illegal firearms in our communities. The Santa Rosa Maui Recovery Team is made up of dedicated professionals who channeled their experience responding to tragedy at home to helping those in Maui recover from the devastating wildfires they experienced last year. This team epitomizes service to others, and I am proud to recognize them, Deborah, and Ghost as this year’s Public Safety Heroes from Sonoma County.”
During her time at the Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety, Deborah Lamaison has served as a Detective, a Firefighter, a member of the Multidisciplinary Accident Investigation Team, and as her current title of School Resource Officer. As the School Resource Officer for the city of Rohnert Park, she has worked to build meaningful relationships with students, staff, faculty, and the community. She regularly engages with youth in not just one school, but all the schools within the city’s jurisdiction. Her compassionate approach to policing has been part of her mission to thoughtfully engage with those around her to reach positive and successful outcomes whilst fostering trust within the community. Mrs. Lamaison has set a public example of how law enforcement can engage with youth and keep our students and school campuses safer.
The Santa Rosa Maui Recovery team includes Division Chief–Fire Marshall Paul Lowenthal, Deputy Director of Water and Sewer Operations Joe Schiavone, Chief Building Officer Jesse Oswold, Marin Water Communications and Public Affairs Officer Adriane Mertens and Programmer–Analyst Jake Bayless. While people across our nation watched in horror as wildfires engulfed Lahaina, many in our district found the sight sickeningly familiar. Just a few years prior in 2017, the Tubbs Fire swept through Santa Rosa destroying thousands of homes and taking twenty-two lives. Our community has hard-won wisdom when it comes to recovering from wildfire. When FEMA Region IX Administrator Robert Fenton called Santa Rosa to ask for their expertise, these extraordinary public servants answered. Mr. Lowenthal, Mr, Schiavone, Mr. Oswold, Ms. Mertens, and Mr. Bayless landed in Maui on August 27, 2023. Over the coming months, the team provided extensive technical guidance in debris removal, information recovery, public communications, sewer service restoration, water service restoration and the development of Maui’s official recovery web portal.
Ghost is a 2-year-old Malinois who was born in Modesto, California and began his service with the Santa Rosa Police Department in September 2022. He lives and works with his partner, Officer Aaron Gonzales-Campos, along with Officer Gonzales-Campos’ wife and two daughters. Ghost enjoys being a big brother to his two little sisters. In a time of rampant gun violence, the Ghost serves a crucial role for our community. Ghost and Officer Gonzales-Campos are Sonoma County’s first firearm detection Police K9 team. After hundreds of hours of training and achieving certification in January 2023, Ghost is able to detect odors from firearms and related objects such as ammunition. After identifying an odor, Ghost identifies the threat to his partner. In his first year and in addition to his regular duties, Ghost intercepted and removed eight illegal firearms from the streets of Santa Rosa. Just two weeks ago, he helped bust an identity theft ring that was also manufacturing illegal ghost guns and assault rifles. A proactive approach to intercepting illegal firearms is keeping Santa Rosa safe and reducing the risk of violent crimes.
The full list of Public Safety Heroes for the Fourth Congressional district includes:
Daniel Eagle, Clearlake Police Department
Chrissy Valdez, Northshore Fire Protection
Nick DeGuilio, Napa Police Department
JC Greenburg, Cal Fire
Lauren Coughlan, Vacaville Police Department
Andrew Tomelloso, Dixon Fire Department
Debbie Lamaison, Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety
Santa Rosa Maui Recovery Team
Ghost, Santa Rosa Police Department K9
Joe Farrow, UC Davis Police Department
Clarksburg Fire Protection District