GILROY
– Sheriff’s Lt. Dale Unger says he’s excited to be transferred
to the southern half of Santa Clara County, especially since he and
his family have lived in Gilroy for the past year-and-a-half.
GILROY – Sheriff’s Lt. Dale Unger says he’s excited to be transferred to the southern half of Santa Clara County, especially since he and his family have lived in Gilroy for the past year-and-a-half.
For the past two months, Unger has been commander of the sheriff’s substation in San Martin, in charge of law enforcement outside city limits in South County.
“I love the South County area,” Unger said. “I used to work down here in ’85 as a deputy.
“It seems like a slower pace and more relaxed. … The people are real friendly.”
South County life reminds Unger of his upbringing on a ranch in Selma, Fresno County, the self-proclaimed “raisin capital of the world.”
Unger has been with the sheriff’s office for 24 years. He is the sheriff’s underwater search commander and takes special pride in his 21 years of experience on the dive team.
One of Unger’s main priorities in South County is to maintain excellent teamwork with other public safety agencies, he said.
He is married with three children.
Unger replaced Lt. Larry Lopez as South County commander when Sheriff Laurie Smith switched the two men’s jobs. Unger had previously been in charge of transit security and worked out of Milpitas. Now, Lopez heads that division.
Unger said he liked working with transit but won’t miss the commute to Milpitas. Now he can get from home to his office in 10 minutes or less.
The swap was part of the Smith’s routine transfer plan and had nothing to do with either lieutenant’s performance, according to the sheriff’s spokesperson, Deputy Terrance Helm.
“The sheriff is a firm believer of making sure that everybody is knowledgeable at working everywhere, and the only way she believes you are going to be knowledgeable is if she moves you around,” Helm said.
In the last round of transfers, Smith moved all 24 of her captains and lieutenants except Capt. Bob Dixon, in charge of detective work.
