INTERVIEW WITH SHERIFF SERENITY WYATT
BY Patricia Asaro | October 19, 2020
Sheriff Serenity Wyatt
The San Andreas Network team conducted an interview with Sheriff Serenity Wyatt. The written version of the interview can be seen below.
Reporter Patricia Asaro: Who is Serenity Wyatt privately? What are your hobbies, as a woman on such a high and responsible position?
Sheriff Serenity Wyatt: First and foremost, I play the infinitely important role; that is to be a mother. With two children at home, it may sometimes be difficult to juggle all the administrative work that my position entails, as well as the necessary caretaking, I don't see myself having a lot of free time to exercise activities or other sports; I would occasionally enjoy myself a casual match of tennis. If I were to describe myself, it would be as a relatively open-minded person, additionally with a kind soul. That is something I could attribute to all of my peers in law enforcement, as we are all serving with good intentions.
Reporter Patricia Asaro: What made you to pursue a career within the Sheriff's Department and how did you manage to achieve the highest position in such a great law enforcement agency? Moreso, you are a woman. Did you find it difficult to prove yourself and build such a career?
Sheriff Serenity Wyatt: It all rooted out from my desire to give back to the community I grew up in. That is certainly something that other law enforcement officers may relate to. I spent many years in the Department before following the opportunities in Professional Standards Division as a Sergeant. That then allowed me to progress through the Internal Affairs Bureau and progressively be in charge of its operations. From there on, I dedicated myself to multiple areas of the Department and ensuring that everything operates smoothly. And indeed, some may view gender as a factor in one's progression through a law enforcement agency. Now being the 6th female Sheriff of the Los Santos County, I can surely say that being a female officer can have its own differences. We naturally tend to be more understanding and passionate about that, what we do. And I'd consider myself lucky to have had the possibility of being part of the Professional Standards Division. The ability to symphatize with your peers and understand one's perspective to a great extent is something that an investigator would massively profit from.
Reporter Patricia Asaro: My experience with the deputies within the Sheriff's Department has always been positive. Furthermore, the SAN team conducted analysis regarding citizens' opinion about the Department and the results showed that the citizens trust your deputies when it comes to safety and protection, have had mostly positive encounters. Naturally, I would like to ask, what are the standards and the procedures that one deputy has to maintain, in order to continue a successful career within your Department?
Sheriff Serenity Wyatt: We're extremely stern on our standards, and we introduce three pieces of information to all newly sworn Deputies. Our mission, our creed, and our core values. Those can all be found on our website; but I believe that our core values would provide the best answer to your question: Lead with compassion, serve with humility, and courageously seek justice for all. Introducing our hires to our core values as well as our mission statement, most importantly, is what I believe helps us upkeep our standards and continue improving what we expect from each generation of Deputies.
Reporter Patricia Asaro: Can you tell us more about the internal structure of the Department? Furthermore, since you are the head of the whole Department, if an internal issue arises, do you consider yourself easily approachable?
Sheriff Serenity Wyatt: I definitely do; or at least that is the image I am trying to push forward. We've operated by a chain of command for the longest time, but following my appointment; I've been encouraging deputies to contact me over anything and everything. Sure, it may take up some more of my time, but it's something I'd gladly do for the sake of the condition of my Employees.
Reporter Patricia Asaro: What are your thoughts on punishment versus rehabilitation?
Sheriff Serenity Wyatt: Well, this may tie in with my previous statement about the ability to symphatize and relate to someone else. I do believe that we would be best off focusing on rehabiliation; locking someone up and telling them that they do not fit in our society is completely redundant, especially when they get released a few years later with the feeling that everyone is up against them. This would warrant appropriate systems and facilities to move forward with this.
Reporter Patricia Asaro: As the head of a law enforcement agency, what are your views when it comes to firearms accessibility? Do you think that the citizens should be able to purchase a firearm for self defense, with less strict process for it, or you'd rather add more rules and procedures in order to obtain a firearm legally?
Sheriff Serenity Wyatt: I do have a pretty firm point of view on this matter, and it is worth mentioning that I am more of a centrist myself. I believe that the current system is currently working just fine, with no necessary need for amendment or change. Unsurprisingly, if we make stricter gun laws, we'd go back to a very extraordinary realisation: criminals don't follow the laws anyway. I personally am for the possibility of our citizens to purchase and hold firearms. Moreso in connection to our Constitution, of course.
Reporter Patricia Asaro: What is, in your opinion, the biggest issue in San Andreas as of now? Furthermore, when you sit down with your team and discuss eventual changes and procedures, what is usually discussed on the said meetings? How does one meeting amongst people on the highest positions looks like?
Sheriff Serenity Wyatt: At this point in time, we're currently on a mission of improving and adapting our policy to better suit what is given to us on the field. I'm more fond of the idea of having individual conversations with persons responsible for parts of the Department, and figuring out what could be done better or what could be improved. As such, we have recently opened a dedicated headquarters for those under a Traffic assignment in our Department, and we have also created official policy for the use of all-terrain vehicles by Employees. All in all? I personally see a lot of shootings nowadays, which has inspired us to follow up with two notions: The first one was the consideration of establishing a monthly, public statistic, of the situations that our Department encounters, which will in turn allow us to create Department-wide trainings on specialized topics. The second consideration was the introduction of a policy designed to suppress crime in a specific area code, in response to an actively high crime rate in that area. All in all? We do gather for meetings, but I am more confident in addressing issues on the spot instead of delaying them unnecessarily to another date and time, where they may not receive the attention they deserve.
Reporter Patricia Asaro: Miss Wyatt, it has been a pleasure to have you in the studio. I'm sure that many people learned a lot from your knowledge shown to us tonight. Is there something that you'd like to say to the citizens?
Sheriff Serenity Wyatt: I'm happy to have had the opportunity as well! As for a message: just stay safe. Should you encounter a situation where a crime is being committed, or you otherwise do not feel safe, then make sure that you call 911 and provide all the necessary details to our dispatchers. It is much more difficult to address a situation where the only details we are given are a location and asking for 'help'. What, where, who, and why. Be as descriptive as you can—this allows law enforcement to help you much better. That is something to keep in mind. I directly and gladly receive correspondence from the public, and I encourage everyone who has something to say or ask, to do so. That is all, thank you.
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