Part I of Part II A Sargent in the LAPD, A wife, A mother, A daughter, A sister and A friend... Meet Senior Lead Officer Sonia Grace (now known as Sonia Rimkunas) was born in San Gabriel, California at the young age of 36 she has a lead a productive and inspiring life. She is a great example and role model, that when you put your mind to something , with passion and determination it will become a reality. Brought to you by Rosie Betanzos Sonia when you were growing up who were your leaders? I defiantly have to say my mom, in fact she instilled in us (my sister and I) that… 1) You get an education 2) You get a career 3) And then you get married You don’t do it in any other order, because if you do it in that order you are a whole person and you have more to give in a marriage. My mother was a single parent and because of her I started thinking about a career at an early age. Besides your mother who else influence you growing up? What inspire you to continue to go school? Growing up I was lucky to have gone to really good schools with great teachers. I have to say all of them influence me to continue to go school. Ironically I have been wearing uniforms since the age of 5. I went from a co-ed grammar school and then to an all girls high school, I know with my mother's influence, the teachers and the strict structure environment of the schools I have to say it has made me the person I am now. What age did you realize that you wanted to become a police officer? I have to say it was in high school around my sophomore and Jr. year. My mother at an early age was the greatest influence of speaking to us about college, we knew there was no question about where we were heading after high school. Around that age I started thinking what I wanted to major in and started to look at schools that had good programs. I have always had an interest in psychology and I always thought and wondered -God what makes people do the things they do?- I was especially interested in criminals and individuals with serial behaviors. To major in psychology came into light and during that time I wanted to be a psychologist for inmates or for parolees, because again I thought,- what makes people do this things and can they be turn around?- So yes it was sort of law enforcement related. I started taking ride-along with law enforcement. Back then I lived in San Dimas and La Verne Police Department allowed me- at that time- to go on a ride-along. So once I went on a couple of them that was it. I said this is it and was sold on becoming a police officer. So basically this was your calling? Yes! I knew I wanted to become a police officer and still finish college and get my degree. In my first year in college full time -I went to the University of La Verne- at this time my mom became sick and lost her home and therefore, I needed to get a full time job. I made the decision during this point to quit school, get a full time job and attend part-time at a jr. college. I started to work at Home Savings as a loan counselor and started my jr. college part-time. Then I started to think okay I want to get my degree first, but since I was going part-time I knew it was going to take me a long time to get my whole degree. So then I ask myself why I am working at Home Savings. I know I want to get my degree and go back to school, but why don’t I just take the LAPD test now, I am old enough; so at the age of 21 I took the police department test. I was hired full time at the LAPD and of course I only went back to school a couple of semesters and once your life gets hectic and you have kids and your life gets busy, well that was my turn of events. Sonia at what age did you got married? Gosh, I got married in 2002 so I was 30 years old and I met him through the LAPD, I worked out of Hollywood Division before I came to Northeast Division we didn’t work with each other, or knew each other well. Until the bicycle unit in Hollywood Division, I went there and he worked in that unit. I never thought of him much of him when we pass each other in the hallway, until we worked in the same unit and I got to know his personality and he made me laugh. We started talking to each other more and started dating and that was the end of that story. We got married. We have been married about 5 years now and we had our son about two years ago. When you first got to Northeast Police Division were you immediately given Echo Park?
No, I actually worked the Eagle Rock area, then after a year or two of being here I took the oral for Senior Lead Officer. I was then interviewed here (Northeast Station) for the Senior Lead position, it was right after Senior Lead Officer Joe Writer left. I received his spot. That is how I ended up in Echo Park. What is interesting is before becoming a Senior Lead Officer I never worked the Echo Park area even though its part of Northeast, I was always in Eagle Rock, so it was a brand new area and people to get to know and I didn’t even know the local gangs, because mostly my car was in Eagle Rock side. Plus you had to learn all the new hillsides that Echo Park has right?. That was a learning experience. How did you get introduced to the Echo Park Improvement Association? I went to what Senior Lead Officer Writer attended before he left. The EPIA was the first one I started attending right away. It was a matter of very slowly being introduced to everyone and getting to know everyone and earn their trust. Was getting the trust of the community tough? Yes, it was. It was tough because I didn’t have the opportunity of the introduction or any kind of training in the process to learn about the community. One minute you are here and the next you are somewhere else. Sonia Do you remember your first case in Echo Park? No, I don’t. Back then Senior Lead Officers were in patrol, it wasn’t until Mayor Hahn changed the whole process, we were in patrol cars full time. Gosh, we were making arrests daily; I cannot remember the first one. Who has been the person that has impacted you the most in Echo Park? I would defiantly have to say two people. Darin Williams from Select Patrol and Ron Emler. They were both on the forth front. Darin because he had so many clients in Echo Park for security patrol and Ron of course he was -a here I am person, this is what we are about, what are you about? and what are you going to do about the challenges in the community? That was the type of thing Ron brought to the table. Ron was kind of my first contact and the key person, he knew so many people in Echo Park and he was so active. Darin, was a key in relationship with his clients and the activity that occurred in Echo Park. I really valued that over the years; because Darin and I always communicated either through e-mail or calling each other weekly to exchange information on what was going on, what his guys are seeing, are they getting a location where they are getting a lot of calls. I was able to call Darin to let him know we are looking for this kind of car, let me know if you see it, get a license plates. That relationship was an important key that help me a lot. SECOND PART COMING LATER .... |