Coffee with the Deputies

On any given Tuesday morning, community members served by the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff Station swing by the Corner Bakery in Calabasas to voice their concerns to Deputies Robert DeSantis and Shawn Brownell.

"We want to make ourselves available to our community's needs," said DeSantis, specialty assignments deputy. "We don't want to drive around with our windows up. We don't want kids to be afraid of us."

The deputies try to arrive at the cafe before 8:45 a.m. every Tuesday and stay until around 10 a.m., said DeSantis, who drinks "straight black coffee--no cream, no sugar."

Coffee with the Deputy has been held for at least 11 years but DeSantis has been most active in the past three years alongside Shawn Brownell, deputy of community services.

"We used to have a sign that said, '10 percent off' if you were associated with the program," said Brownell, who prefers tea, "but different management has come in and out."

Coffee with the Deputy offers community members the opportunity to voice concerns and feel comfortable with law enforcement, Brownell said. "They don't have to come to the station. They can just grab a coffee, sit down and relax."

The deputies chat with many civilians--some new, some regulars--throughout the course of the morning.

"You don't have to have a conversation," said Dave Mercer, Malibu resident and "good friend" of DeSantis. "You can come up and approach them. It is much more comfortable for people that way."

Brownell says the most common concerns raised by people are tickets, burglaries and accidents.

Coffee with the Deputy is also an effort to boost awareness of crime within the communities covered by the Malibu/Lost Hills station.

"We want to prevent crimes of opportunity," said DeSantis. "This jurisdiction is primarily a low-crime area. People get tunnel vision." 

During the past few weeks, the deputies said they were in the midst of helping a local woman with her son's felony arrest. The woman felt the charge was unjust and should be reduced to misdemeanor. They directed her to the station's juvenile department.

"We do things the patrol guys don't have time to do," said DeSantis. "We do the extra stuff." 

The deputies encourage residents to stop by the Corner Bakery every Tuesday morning. "Just look for the guys in uniform."