Location: Porterville Veterans Memorial Building

Incident Date: 3/11/2020

Incident Time: 1800 hours

City: Porterville

Posted by: Media Relations

Deputy John Haro was named Officer of the Year Wednesday, March 11, 2020, at the Porterville Exchange Club’s Public Safety Recognition dinner at the Porterville Veterans Memorial Building. He was presented with his award by Lt. Rod Parker. 

“I’m very thankful for being nominated, for being given this award,” Deputy Haro said. “To me, it’s a great compliment to the work that I’m doing here and that I get to experience with my peers.”

Deputy Haro grew up in Woodlake and graduated from Woodlake Union High School. He attended the College of the Sequoias and the Tulare-Kings Counties Basic Peace Officer Academy. Deputy Haro worked for the Exeter Police Department before getting hired in 2017 at the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office. 

Deputy Haro said he became a deputy because he likes helping people.

“I just like helping people in the community,” he said. “It sounds a little cliché but that really is what I feel is why people get into law enforcement, for public service.”

He is assigned to the Porterville Substation and his beat covers Tonyville, Strathmore and the unincorporated areas of Lindsay. Knowing his beat area well has been the key to his success.

In February, Deputy Haro was on patrol in northwest Lindsay when he received a new report of a stolen enclosed trailer that was taken from a Tulare area agricultural business. Because he knew his beat area so well, he first went to an area nearby that was known to be a staging area for stolen agricultural equipment in the past. 

His hunch proved correct. He found the stolen trailer behind large stacks of empty orange bins and returned it to its owner within 30 minutes of it being reported stolen. 

While on scene, Deputy Haro also recovered a stolen quad, welding trailer and several large bags of ag-related chemicals. In all, Deputy Haro’s investigation led to the recovery of approximately $20,000 worth of stolen agricultural equipment and products. 

Lieutenant Bobby Rader said Deputy Haro was successful because he was intimately familiar with his beat area, the citizens who live there and the criminal activity that occurs there. 

“On this day, Deputy Haro’s actions exemplified our department motto of “We Will Be the Difference,” Lieutenant Rader said. “Deputy Haro was the difference.”