5/28/2013 3:27 PM
Incident: Salinas Police Officer Jeff Lofton Retires
Date: Tuesday, 5/28/2013
Time: 3:27 PM
Location: 222 Lincoln Ave.
Officer Jeff Lofton, a Salinas Police Officer since 1992, retired this morning with a ceremony at the City Hall Rotunda attended by family, fellow officers, SPD retirees and city government officials.
Officer Lofton started his career in public service in 1979 while still in high school when he enlisted in the Army National Guard. After high school he enlisted in the regular army as his first career choice; during his service he was stationed at Ft. Benning GA, Mannheim West Germany, Ft. Sill Oklahoma, and Ft. Ord California.
In 1989, Officer Lofton sought a career change and left the regular army. He enlisted in the California National Guard and became a police officer with the Seaside Police dept.
During Desert Storm Jeff was assigned to Headquarters company 149th armor, which was actually located right across the street from SPD, at the old Armory building. The unit was not deployed and at the end of the war Jeff was honorably discharged and focused on his law enforcement career.
In 1992 Jeff was hired by the Salinas police department. He worked patrol and narcotics but found his calling in 1997 when he became a School Resource Officer. Officer Lofton enjoyed working with the youth of Salinas and influencing them as a role model. During this time he became a PAL board member and coach; coaching several hundred kids on PAL sports teams and field trips, and ultimately became a PAL program director.
It was during this time Officer Lofton was introduced to Brian Contreras and the staff of Second Chance. Officer Lofton, Brian, and the Second Chance Staff worked closely with the FBI and California National Guard on a federal program called Drug Education for Youth or DEFY. During the time of this program, Officer Lofton and Second Chance staff would take youth from Salinas for one week to live in the old Army National Guard facility in San Luis Obispo off Hwy 1. Officer Lofton brought kids from Salinas together with other youth from San Francisco, San Jose, Richmond and other California communities. Their mission was to expose these youth to the discipline of the Army National Guard, anti-drug and gang curriculum, and people from other walks of life. After returning to Salinas, Jeff would continue to work with the youth and their families to reinforce their new life skills, and help them avoid the dangers of gangs or drugs.
After a short trip back to patrol Officer Lofton teamed up with Officer Rich Lopez and together they became the SUBA Officers. Officers Lofton and Lopez worked closely with the community and businesses in East Salinas and clocked many hours on foot patrol, bike patrol and just interacting on a personal level with business owners.
In 2010 Officer Lofton was selected as a detective where he was able to put his knowledge and connections with the business community to good use. Officer Lofton's primary assignment his first year was as a property crimes detective and in his second year as a sex crimes detective. He admits this was the most stressful assignment of his career.
Officer Lofton later jumped at the opportunity to work in another community related assignment- CASP, where he was once again teamed up with Officer Richard Lopez. Together they worked closely with the community in the Hebbron St area of Salinas where they spent much of their time on foot patrol knocking on doors, riding on bike patrol and most importantly, building trust with the community.
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Release Authorized by: Officer Miguel Cabrera
Telephone:758-7348