New sheriff’s lieutenant in town
Lt. Phil Willis is saying goodbye to the Solvang
Sheriff’s Station for the third time as he gets ready to transfer down south.
Willis officially transferred out of the Solvang station
into a position as a trainer in Santa Barbara March 24.
Willis said that, while he will miss the valley, his move
is not unusual since the Sheriff’s Department likes to shuffle personnel every
couple of years.
Willis served as the station’s lieutenant for the past
three years. He also served the valley area as a patrol detective and a chief.
Erin Ayala, office assistant senior, is going to miss Willis.
“Between him and Leland Bentley, I’ll miss them both,”
she said. “But Mark will do a good job.”
Lt. Mark Liddi is taking
Willis’ place and said he looks forward to serving the various communities
within the valley.
“I will miss my friends at the main office,” he said. “but I really like the communities up here.”
Liddi,
who lives in the valley, has 30-plus years experience in law enforcement, most
of which he’s spent with the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department.
He has held various positions with the department,
including Santa Barbara and Isla Vista patrol, Major Crimes Investigator, and
member of the Santa Barbara Special Weapons and Tactics team.
He said he’s had the opportunity to leave the Santa
Barbara department but said he just loves the agency and couldn’t see himself
leaving.
Liddi
primarily will be focused on training deputies and improving the quality of
services to the community.
“I think the mentoring process is important,” he said.
This is Liddi’s first appointment
as a lieutenant, and he said he’s looking forward to working in the valley.
Sgt. Craig Bonner, who has worked under both Willis and Liddi, said he’s comfortable with the station change.
“I’m sad to see Phil go, however, in terms of
replacement, I’m really happy with Lt. Liddi,” he
said.