Five new in blue: Alcantara swears in officers

Interim Chief Lt. Rudy Alcantara swears in five new Barstow police officers on Monday in the City Council chambers.

Barstow PD close to full staff By AARON AUPPERLEE Staff Writer BARSTOW - The staffing woes of April and May are long gone at the Barstow Police Department. On Monday, Interim Chief Lt. Rudy Alcantara swore in five new officers, bringing the depleted force close to full staff. Jarell Gilmore, Peter D'Andrea, Scott Johnston, Richard Villegas and Johnathan McDowell got their badges pinned on during a ceremony in the City Council chambers. "We're almost there," said Alcantara. The number of officers in the department dropped considerably in the beginning of April, when four officers tendered their resignations, leaving only 29 of the budgeted 38 positions filled. However, two new officers joined the ranks in May and five more on Monday. Alcantara hopes to fill the remaining spots soon and then expand the number of officers. At one point, Barstow had 44 officers; Alcantara thinks the city could see that number again. "As time goes on, Barstow is going to grow, and there a lot of things we're going to have be able to do," he said. "We're going to take it slowly." If the department does expand to 44 officers, he thinks Barstow could have school resource officers, motorcycle cops, mall officers, a K-9 team, an increased detective division and street-impact teams to deal with narcotic problems and gangs in the area. Alcantara hopes offering a variety of tasks for officers will boost morale, a reason cited for the exodus of officers. "You know, guys get tired of the same thing," he said. "You want to expand your horizons. Being able to offer these positions is something to work toward." One of the new officers, Gilmore, has some experience with gang enforcement. Gilmore came to Barstow after five years in the Los Angeles County Police Department. His last post there was with a gang task force. He said a lot of his experience will transfer but that Barstow is a unique place with its own rhythm. "I'm definitely open to learning the Barstow way," he said. Also learning the Barstow way is the department's new chief, Lt. Dianne Burns from the Los Angeles Police Department. Burns attended the ceremony on Monday to meet the new officers. Earlier in the day, she met with other officers at the department for the first time. What impressed her most about Barstow's officers was their versatility. Each officer does a myriad of tasks, she said. Burns will be in and out of Barstow during the next week as her background check finishes up and she settles into the area.