CITY FOCUS: Officers of distinction

The Laguna Beach Police Department will honor the individual accomplishments of those involved in law enforcement at its annual Police Awards Breakfast Wednesday.

The breakfast will honor Cpl. Tony White as Officer of the Year and Senior Animal Services Officer Joy Falk as the Civilian of the Year.

Other officers, reserve officers, volunteers and services will also receive recognition at 8 a.m. in the Montage Resort & Spa ballroom. The public is invited to attend the event at $40 per person, including breakfast. For more information, contact Sgt. Jason Kravetz at (949) 497-0307.

Part of what makes a police force effective is technology that gives officers an edge. The man keeping Laguna Beach’s police connected and with the most up-to-date information and equipment possible is Cpl. Tony White.

White started in law enforcement eight years ago and has been with the Laguna police for seven. Appropriately enough, he had a career in technology before he joined the force, which makes his responsibilities a natural fit.

As a techie, White ensures Laguna’s systems are cutting edge.

“I think technology-wise, we are on par and even above neighboring cities,” White said.

White — a transplant from London — said he should have gone into law enforcement in the first place. He has a passion for helping those who can’t help themselves and says police work is the perfect opportunity.

In White’s first three years on the force working as a motorcycle officer, he said he tried to change the perception of the police being out to get people. He sees his job as less of an enforcement role and more as providing police services.

“When people deal with me I try to make sure they know they are dealing with a friendly, approachable professional,” White said.

He uses his good-natured smile and British repartee in that goal. White said people are always surprised to hear an English accent from an officer who just pulled them over. It serves to pique curiosity, which mitigates some of the anger at being ticketed.

Perennially a runner-up for Officer of the Year, White says it’s good to know he is making a difference.

“If I’m the example for what police services are about, that’s what this award is about to me.”

Joy Falk loves to put on her Animal Services uniform in the morning. It’s a uniform she wears because her first love is animals.

Falk said she had a passion for animals from an early age. It was a calling her parents didn’t really understand.

“It drove my parents nuts — they weren’t really animal people,” she said.

That infatuation grew as Falk developed into an equestrian. She eventually became a horse trainer. It was a job she loved, but she soon realized horse trainers don’t get medical benefits.

Falk started with Laguna Beach Animal Services because it was a safe job with benefits. She could work there until she found her life’s true calling.

That was 25 years ago.

“I found out this is what I wanted to do,” Falk said.

Falk deals with everything from lost pets and barking dogs to animal abuse. Each animal she deals with gets special care.

While the image of the “dog catcher” sometimes carries a negative connotation, Falk says she doesn’t know a single Animal Services worker who isn’t a pet-lover.

Falk doesn’t just protect her animals, her goal is to protect all animals. She spent nearly a month in Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina rescuing animals. She was so concerned with the lack of organization that she is now in the process of planning a contingency to rescue pets in case of an emergency.

Though honored to be chosen as the Civilian of the Year, Falk says she’s just glad to be serving Laguna’s animal community. “There’s not a day that I go home and feel like I just pushed paper and took up space.”