John Drummond speaks to an audience Monday afternoon at the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office after being promoted to undersheriff. Sheriff Steve Moore stands behind him. (Brian Feulner/News-Sentinel)

Officially sworn in

Sheriff appoints three local residents to department's top positions

When new Sheriff Steve Moore promoted three people to the highest ranks in the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Department, it was only coincidental that all three are from the northern end of the county.

In fact, until last year when one moved to Acampo, they all lived in Lodi. And they all know that the biggest complaint from neighbors is the slow law enforcement response time.

"Our focus right now is to take care of the community issues. The sheriff made that campaign promise and intends to fulfill that with community cars," said newly appointed Asst. Sheriff Jess DuBois, of Acampo.

Ideally, community cars will be based in many of the smaller communities — such as Woodbridge, Thornton and Acampo — and stay there on shift. A "beat" car will patrol the greater area.

Sheriff Steve Moore promoted DuBois, fellow Asst. Sheriff John Picone and Undersheriff John Drummond moments after he was sworn in Jan. 8. They were formally sworn in Monday.

John Drummond

A Lodi native, Drummond's promotion to second in command comes mere weeks after his only daughter died in a fire at her Lodi apartment.

Now 56, Drummond attended local schools, married his high school sweetheart and has lived in the area his whole life, except for the two years he was stationed in Germany after being drafted by the Army.

After three years in the military, Drummond returned home to fulfill a dream — "I knew I wanted to be a deputy sheriff for San Joaquin County since I was in high school," he said.

The dream started when his mother was dating a deputy, who talked about the job. Drummond said he wanted to help people, and that if he hadn't gone into law enforcement, he probably would have become a nurse.

Drummond began working for the Sheriff's Department as an evidence clerk in September 1973 and worked up to other positions. He spent more than seven years on patrol, then moved on to detective, street supervisor and detective supervisor.

While working as a detective, Drummond had investigated the 1984 death of a 17-year-old Lodi girl. The case went unsolved but he kept up on the case when he had time, and in 1995 a man confessed to Drummond. He later pleaded guilty to murder and was sentenced to life in prison.

Jess DuBois has his new badge pinned on by his son Monday afternoon, after being promoted to assistant sheriff at the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office. (Brian Feulner/News-Sentinel)

It wasn't until 1999 that Drummond moved into the administration world of the Sheriff's Department. He became a captain in 2002, then became assistant sheriff in 2004. Moore created a new position of undersheriff and gave it to Drummond, who will now be tasked with handling all personnel issues in the 815-employee department.

Drummond plans to retire at the end of 2007, which he said will give him enough time to pave the way for future leaders.

He and his wife of 37 years live in Lodi and since Dec. 20 are raising their twin 10-year-old granddaughters after their mother's death. The couple also have an adult son.

Jess DuBois

A Stockton native, DuBois, 50, lived in Lodi, for 13 years before moving to Acampo last year. As a resident whose neighborhood falls under the protection of the Sheriff's Department, DuBois said he understands the need for more patrol deputies.

Currently, one patrol car covers the area from Eight Mile Road north to the county line, and from the western county line to Highway 99. A second patrol car works from Highway 99 to the eastern county line and from the northern county line south to Linden.

"We're not going to complain about what we have because we know we're going to get help," DuBois said of the department's deputy shortage, and a proposal to add additional positions to help cover the county's growing population. "We're going to be in maintenance mode until we get reinforcements, though we're not going to put them out there and ignore them."

DuBois was born and raised in Stockton, and knew from his early teens that he wanted to work in law enforcement. He tested to qualify for a position as deputy and was one of nine hired out of more than 300 applicants.

Since he was hired in January 1978, DuBois has spent much of his time working in narcotics enforcement and also on the SWAT team. He was promoted to captain in 2002 and will now serve as assistant sheriff in charge of operations.

DuBois is married and has a grown son from a previous marriage; his son is currently an auxiliary firefighter in Stockton hoping to be hired full-time.

John Picone

Also newly appointed as assistant sheriff, Picone will oversee the custody division, which includes jail and court services.

Picone, 54, was a latecomer to the law enforcement field whose world had revolved around baseball until he was 35. He grew up in San Jose and earned a baseball scholarship to the University of California, Santa Barbara. After getting his bachelor's degree, Picone was drafted into the Angels organization, where he played in the minor leagues for two years.

He then turned to coaching and took a job as assistant coach for Westmont College in Southern California. When Stockton's University of the Pacific offered him the assistant baseball coach in 1976, Picone made the move. He spent seven years in the job, then was head baseball coach for another six years.

Then Picone got married and found that his coaching salary wouldn't support a family. He obtained his teaching credential and had completed course work for his master's degree when his wife's father, a Sheriff's lieutenant, suggested the police academy. It fit, and when the Sheriff's department made the first job offer 19 years ago, Picone accepted it.

"It didn't seem like there was much of a difference between being a baseball coach and being a cop; you still deal with people," he said.

Like many new deputies, Picone started in the custody division, then worked patrol for almost eight years. He moved up the ranks and in 2005 became a captain working in court services.

Now, as assistant sheriff of the division, much of Picone's duties will include plans for construction of another jail wing at the overflowing French Camp center. He plans to retire in six years when he turns 60.

Picone and his wife live in Lodi and have three children, ages 23, 17 and 11. Their oldest daughter is married and has a 9-month-old son.

Contact reporter Layla Bohm at layla@lodinews.com.

First published: Tuesday, January 23, 2007