Location: Sequoia Cider Mill Restaurant, Three Rivers

Incident Date: 2/22/19

Incident Time: 1900 hours

City: Three Rivers

Posted by: Media Relations

The community of Three Rivers honored Deputy Jairo Perez Friday, Feb. 22, 2019, as part of its Heroes Appreciation Month Law Enforcement Celebration at the Sequoia Cider Mill Restaurant. 

This is the 13th year that Three Rivers has honored law enforcement, said resident Peter Sodhy. He explained that the population of Three Rivers has a high percentage of current and former first responders. 

“That’s the kind of people who live in Three Rivers,” he said. “This celebration is our way to say thank you to the first responders and their families. We are grateful for them.”

Deputy Perez said he appreciates the recognition. 

“I’m excited I was chosen for this award. I’ve been working hard and I appreciate that my name even came up,” he said. “I’d like to thank my wife and daughter for their support on and off the field.”

Deputy Perez is assigned to the Sheriff’s Boating Safety Enforcement Unit at nearby Lake Kaweah, Lake Success and the Kings River. 

Boating safety is a priority on the water, he said. 

“We’re sticklers on wearing your life jackets and having all the safety equipment,” he said. “We don’t want anybody in position where they’re going to fail. We want everyone to go home at the end of the day and to be safe.”

Deputy Perez has been an exemplary deputy for the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office, said Captain Mark Gist.

“When we asked deputies who should be nominated, only one name came up – Deputy Jairo Perez,” Captain Gist said. 

Wanted to be a deputy

Deputy Perez said he almost went into nursing until he saw a flier for the police academy at College of the Sequoias. After graduating from the Tulare-Kings Counties Basic Peace Officer, he was hired as a reserve officer for the Farmersville Police Department. 

A year later, in 2013, Deputy Perez was hired at the Sheriff’s Office and was assigned as a patrol deputy in the communities of Cutler/Orosi and Sultana.

During his time at the Orosi Substation, he became a field training officer and, later, he was assigned to a specialty unit, the Sheriff’s Kings River Boat Patrol. He enforced boating laws and helped maintain a safe environment for recreational boating. 

Due to Deputy Perez’s hard work and dedication to the community, he was reassigned as a Community Based Officer in Sultana in 2016. He worked with the community to reduce crime and make the school area safe for children.

He was part of the Sheriff’s PAL Program and assisted in nominating underprivileged children to attend the annual beach trip to the Central Coast and Christmas events sponsored by the Sheriff’s Office. 

In 2017, he was reassigned to Headquarters Patrol and became the Community Based Officer for the New London and Traver areas. During that time, Deputy Perez worked with the schools and community to address their concerns. 

Deputy Perez leads by example and has earned the respect of his peers, Captain Gist said. He has a broad knowledge of police work and strives to become the best deputy in the department. 

Deputies take over Lake Patrol

In July of 2017, Deputy Perez was chosen to help integrate deputies into the Lake Patrol at Lake Kaweah and Lake Success. He took on this full-time assignment and became a seasoned member of the Sheriff’s Boating Safety Enforcement Unit. He also serves as a field training officer when needed.

Deputy Perez, along with the other members of the Sheriff's BSEU, patrols all bodies of water that lie within Tulare County, including Lake Kaweah, Lake Success, the Kings River and surrounding areas. 

Captain Gist said that Deputy Perez’s professionalism, ambition and enthusiasm is well within the tradition of the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office Mission in which he has dedicated himself to be the difference.

Deputy Perez was born in Visalia and raised in Ivanhoe. He attended Ivanhoe Elementary School and graduated from Golden West High School. He attended California State University Sacramento and College of the Sequoias. He graduated from the police academy at COS. 

One of his brothers followed his footsteps and now works as a Deputy Sheriff for the Kings County Sheriff’s Office. Deputy Jairo Perez is married and they have a 2-year-old daughter, three dogs and one chicken.