The Turlock Police Department welcomed a new officer and promoted two of their own this week during two separate ceremonies.
Nino Amirfar was promoted to the rank of Captain and Dave Hall earned a promotion to Sergeant, while Gabriel Gonzalez joins the department as the newest officer.
Capt. Amirfar began his career in 1989 with the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department. He started working at the Turlock Police Department in 1990. Over his career he has been a field training officer, a member of the bike patrol and the drug suppression unit. He also was the first school resource officer in Turlock and was instrumental in bringing the Every 15 Minutes program to Turlock and Stanislaus County. He was promoted to the rank of Sergeant in 2007 and soon after was promoted to a Lieutenant. He has been serving as an acting captain since last year.
“Capt. Amirfar is a man who embodies public service,” Jackson said at Wednesday’s ceremony. “He has been a big part of the department and a big part of its success.”
Over the years Amirfar has earned numerous awards and accommodations, including two department issued excellence awards, a distinguished service award for field training officers, and most recently an accommodation for his performance as acting captain.
“I’m grateful for the trust the community has put in me,” Amirfar said. “My mother instilled in me the value of taking care of people. I’ve learned we can’t get to where we are going without the help of our families and community.”
On Monday the department promoted Sgt. Hall and witnessed the swearing-in ceremony for Gonzalez.
Hall started with the Turlock Police Department in 2002 as a Police Explorer. He was sponsored through the police academy and hired in 2007. Hall was a charter member of the Criminal Apprehension and Gang Enforcement unit and has been a member of the Special Weapons and Tactics team and the narcotics enforcement unit.
“Sgt. Hall has set the bar high here at the department,” Jackson said.
Gonzalez graduated from the police academy last week. Prior to that he worked as an assistant wrestling coach at Gregori High School.
“I went to his graduation and the people there were coming up and telling me we had a good one here,” Jackson said of the new officer.
