Another year paired with another win, and one of the Rancho Cucamonga High School’s deputies, Deputy Jermal James, was awarded the 2024 Deputy of the Year honor.
At an awards luncheon held on Saturday, Sept. 19, by the City of Rancho Cucamonga, James was honored and received multiple plaques and certificates, including some from the U.S. House of Representatives and the California Senate and Assembly. Additionally, he was recognized by the County of San Bernardino and the City of Rancho Cucamonga.
“I’ve never been like the type to want to be recognized, but it felt good inside to know that people are recognizing your work,” James said. “I’ve always been a quiet guy, so I’m thankful but I just keep on working. The only thing that matters is it shows that people recognize your hard work. So day in and day out, you’re working hard; you don’t know if people recognize or not but that just validates your hard work.”
This is the second time James has been awarded this prestigious honor. Back in 2021, he also received the Deputy of the Year Award.
Being a deputy on campus for nearly two years, James has made a profound impact here on campus. Oftentimes, he can be seen on the RCHS campus helping students out and keeping RCHS a safe place.
When asked if he prefers working on campus or handling off-campus situations, he said he enjoys his role at the school because it allows him to give back to the community.
“I actually like the schools better just because most of my interactions are positive,” James said. “[Even when kids get in trouble], I still try to make them feel better. And I do whatever I can to look out for kids because I wish someone would have done that for me. I used to play football, and I made certain mistakes in football in terms of my grades. So, I try to get whatever advice I can give so any kid I talk to on campus can make a good decision with their life.”
Before supporting students at RCHS, James started his law enforcement career. After attending the police academy, he went to work at West Valley Detention Center in the centralized classification division, where he classified incoming inmates.
“I worked the floors of several of our most dangerous units for about three months, then I got into the centralized classification division,” James said.
In the classification division, James said he processed and classified all of the inmates that got booked in San Bernardino County.
“So in that, I probably interview maybe 1,000, 2,000 people a year. Anywhere from murders, rapists, gang members, which is my specialty, I specialize in gangs,” said James.
Dealing with some of the most complex situations and people, James explained how these experiences offered insight into humanity.
“You get to see a wide range of people. You can see someone who’s been in there since the 70s, someone who’s an ex-mafia member–you can see a school teacher that just committed a DUI, which helps you get an understanding of where people are coming from,” said James. “You have to be able to be familiar; open someone up, and that’s when all your life experience … all comes into play. You got to humanize people, even if they made a mistake,” said James.
Overall, James’s message is something that anyone can apply to their lives. More importantly, however, one of the best pieces of advice James has for current and future RCHS students is to always have a goal to work toward.
“I’ll recommend with everyone is you gotta …have an idea of what you wanna do. And once you get that idea, that’s how you can stay out of trouble,” James said. “If you have a certain goal, you dont wanna mess that goal up. That’s just with any kid. Like with me, I always wanted a PS3, and for that whole six months leading to Christmas, I wouldn’t do anything to mess that up,” said James.
In addition to emphasizing the importance of having a goal, James also noted that setting a clear purpose and knowing your “why,” is so important. He expressed that growing up in rough environments can create resilient people.
“With me, I grew up in a rough area. I grew up in LA, so there was nothing but trouble around. So knowing what I wanted to do… Just knowing that later on down the line kept me out of trouble because I always had that end goal. You have to have something to strive for,” said James.
Ultimately, James’ advice reflects the results of his work. Earning Deputy of the Year once is already a great achievement, but twice is another story, and it is a testament to James’ work ethic and dedication to his profession and the school.
“I think you know that in order to be a good deputy … or have good community relationships, you have to be able to relate to people. You can’t be like you’ve never made a mistake,” James said. “I just always kept that with me because I knew exactly where I came from. Whether it was LA or when I was in college, I worked as an usher at a movie theater. I always kept that humility and understanding that I know what a lot of people that I’m talking to are going through.”
