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Santa Ynez, Calif. – The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office recognized members of the agency and community during its annual Recognition Awards Program and Luncheon held on May 6, 2026. The ceremony honored exemplary service, lifesaving actions, professional excellence, and community partnership demonstrated throughout 2025.
Hosted with support from the Sheriff’s Benevolent Posse, the annual event brought together public safety partners, elected officials, community leaders, Sheriff’s Office personnel, and family members to celebrate the dedication and accomplishments of those who serve Santa Barbara County.
In his remarks, Sheriff Bill Brown reflected on the long history of the Sheriff’s Office and the challenges the organization has faced over the years, including major emergencies, natural disasters, staffing shortages, and evolving public safety demands. He praised employees and community partners for their professionalism, resilience, and unwavering commitment to the Sheriff’s Office core values of Service, Integrity, Caring, Fairness, and Courage.
“Time and again, the men and women of the Sheriff’s Office and the people who support them have risen to meet extraordinary challenges,” said Sheriff Brown. “This ceremony recognizes some of the very best among us and highlights the professionalism, compassion, courage, and teamwork that define this organization.”
The ceremony included recognition of employees reaching milestone years of county service, including 20, 25, and 30-year service pin recipients.
The Sheriff’s Office also honored deputies and custody staff who administered Naloxone during overdose emergencies, successfully saving 11 lives throughout 2025. Since equipping frontline personnel with Naloxone in 2017, Sheriff’s Office personnel have reversed hundreds of overdoses in Santa Barbara County.
Among the highest honors presented was the Exceptional Civilian Award, the Sheriff’s Office’s top civilian recognition. Recipients included:
Mark Linehan1, recognized for more than a decade of extraordinary support for public safety in Goleta, including the donation of commercial space for the Marketplace Station and more than $1 million in contributions supporting Sheriff’s Office operations and community safety efforts.
Dr. Bernard Weinstock2, honored for his volunteer work supporting tattoo removal services for incarcerated individuals at the Northern Branch Jail, helping remove barriers to successful reintegration into society.
Joshua Parkhurst3, recognized for intervening during a violent domestic assault along Highway 154, placing himself at personal risk to protect the victim until deputies arrived.
Dispatcher Kristen Gowing4 received recognition for her calm and effective emergency medical dispatching during a cardiac emergency, where her CPR instructions helped sustain a patient who ultimately made a full recovery.
The Sheriff’s Unit Citation was awarded to both the Human Resources Bureau and the Narcotics Unit for exceptional team performance and significant contributions to the organization and public safety.
The Human Resources Bureau5 was recognized for innovative recruiting and retention efforts that helped reduce sworn staffing vacancies to below five percent.
The Narcotics Unit was honored for disrupting drug trafficking operations and removing large quantities of fentanyl and other dangerous narcotics from local communities. These operations resulted in the seizure of approximately 102.78 pounds of methamphetamine, 24.56 pounds of cocaine, 0.59 pounds of heroin, and 9.33 pounds of fentanyl, along with 11,757 fentanyl-laced M30 pills destined for distribution within Santa Barbara County communities.
Numerous Sheriff’s Office personnel, custody deputies, allied law enforcement officers, and emergency responders were recognized with Lifesaving Awards for actions that directly preserved 10 lives during critical incidents including overdoses, suicide attempts, cardiac emergencies, wilderness rescues, and violent assaults. Combined with the Naloxone saves, that amounts to 21 lives saved.
Sheriff’s Sergeant Sandy Frausto6 received the Meritorious Service Medal for his initiative and determination in locating and rescuing a missing and suicidal person in a remote area of the Santa Ynez Valley, ultimately helping save the man’s life.
The ceremony concluded with the presentation of the Distinguished Service Medal to Sheriff’s Lieutenant Christopher Gotschall7 for his transformative leadership within the Human Resources Bureau, including modernization of hiring processes, development of recruit preparation programs, and implementation of recruitment and retention initiatives that significantly strengthened staffing levels across the agency.
“The people recognized today represent the very best of public service,” Sheriff Brown said. “Whether through courage in a crisis, sustained leadership, compassion for others, or dedication behind the scenes, their actions have made a meaningful difference in the lives of the people we serve and within this organization.”
