Two new Sheriff’s sergeants have recently joined the Morongo Basin station. Managing editor Tami Roleff makes the introductions…
Morongo Basin residents might recognize the name of Erik Smoot, who served for many years in the Morongo Basin as a patrol deputy before he was promoted to detective in 2013 and moved to the Apple Valley station. Sergeant Erik Smoot served in the United States Navy before he joined the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department in 2003. Smoot started his career at the West Valley Detention Center and then assigned to patrol functions at the Morongo Basin station. Smoot worked as a patrol deputy in the unincorporated areas of the Morongo Basin, the City of Twentynine Palms and the Town of Yucca Valley. He was promoted to detective in 2013 and worked at the Apple Valley Station, before returning to the Morongo Station as a detective. In 2014, Smoot was transferred to the Narcotic’s Division, were he worked on both the Regional Meth Task Force and Inland Regional Narcotics Enforcement Team, which focused on large scale narcotics trafficking. In 2018, Smoot was promoted to sergeant and assigned back to the Morongo Basin Station as a patrol supervisor. Smoot recently took over as the detective sergeant and currently supervises the detective division, traffic division and the special enforcement teams, out of the Morongo Basin Station.
Sergeant Scott Stafford joined the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department in 2000. Stafford started his career at the Glen Helen Rehabilitation Center and then assigned to patrol functions at the Twin Peaks station in 2003. Stafford worked as a patrol deputy in the communities of Lake Gregory, Lake Arrowhead and Running Springs. In 2007, Stafford transferred to the Victorville City station and continued patrol functions there. While at the Victorville station, he was a field training officer and trained numerous new patrol deputies, until he was promoted to detective in 2012. He remained at the Victorville City station as a detective, until he was transferred to the Specialized Investigations Division, Homicide Detail, at Sheriff’s Headquarters in 2015. Stafford worked as a homicide detective until he was promoted to sergeant in 2018. He was assigned to the Central Detention Center in San Bernardino as a shift supervisor. In 2019, Stafford was transferred to the Morongo Basin station as a patrol supervisor. Stafford recently took over as the administrative sergeant and currently supervises the professional staff and handles the day to day administrative duties at the Morongo Basin Station.
