NORWALK – California Statewide Law Enforcement Association (CSLEA) Supervising Legal Counsel David De La Riva and Metropolitan State Hospital Police Officer/CSLEA Site Representative Jeffrey MacDuff met with newly hired Hospital Police Officer staff during Metropolitan’s New Employee Orientation session on June 17, 2025. The officers who attended the session are waiting for their training to begin at the Department of State Hospital’s Police Academy in San Luis Obispo. Once they complete that portion of their training, the all new DSH officers will be assigned to field training at their respective facilities. During the Metropolitan orientation session, officers were briefed on the benefits of CSLEA membership including legal representation for incidents occurring within the course of their duties, as well as a $15,000.00 life insurance benefit for the beneficiaries of CSLEA dues-paying members.

Prior to the orientation session, De La Riva and MacDuff met with the Metropolitan State Hospital Acting Police Chief John Rolin, Acting Deputy Chief  Thomas Fisher and Employee Relations Manager Enrique Negrete. In addition to discussing the training that officers receive at the DSH Academy, the focus of the conversation shifted to what DSH is doing in its recruitment efforts to hire more officers and possible incentives DSH could offer to attract recruits.

“I am encouraged that Chief Rolin is intent elevating the training standards established by DSH as this will hopefully lead to attracting officers who will become better equipped to deal with the array of issues they will be expected to confront on a daily basis at Metropolitan, Atascadero, Coalinga, Patton and Napa State Hospitals,” said De La Riva.