Kevin Kemmerling new sergeant at Porterville Substation

A Springville man is among four Tulare County Sheriff’s Deputies who will be promoted to Sergeant this morning.

Sheriff Bill Wittman announced that a ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. today to promote two Operations and two Corrections Sergeants. The ceremony will be held at the Tulare County Sheriff’s Headquarter’s Lobby. Friends and family will also be present to show their support.

Being promoted to Operations Sergeant are Kevin Kemmerling of Springville and Larry Camacho of Visalia. Joe Landin of Visalia and Javier Elizaldi of Woodlake are being promoted to Correctional Sergeant.

Kemmerling, who will be assigned to supervise deputies at the Porterville Substation, became a volunteer for the Sheriff’s Search and Rescue team and provided his assistance as an EMT from 1999 through 2004. At that time, he decided to attend the police academy and apply for a sworn position with the Sheriff’s Office. He was hired by the Sheriff in October of 2004 and began working at the Men’s Correctional Facility.

In February of 2006, he became the Springville Resident Deputy then moved to his most recent assignment in the Sheriff’s Tactical Enforcement Personnel Team in July of 2008. He has had specialized training and assignments as the SWAT team leader, Dive team, Rope Rescue, Armorer/Gunsmith, Tactical Repelling Instructor, Aerial Observation, Rifle and Quad (ATV) certifications.

Camacho, will be assigned as a supervisor at the Pixley Substation. He started in law enforcement as a teen volunteering in the Sheriff’s Explorer program from 1984 through 1988. After attending the police academy, he started working for the Woodlake Police Department from 1995 through 2000. He held assignments in patrol, undercover narcotics investigations and general detectives and was also a field training officer. In March of 2000, he came to the Sheriff’s Office where he worked in patrol services at the Pixley and Porterville Substations and was a field training officer. He became a detective working in North County Investigations in 2005, then in Violent Crimes since 2008. He has received letters of commendation and appreciation from agencies such as Bakersfield Police Department, the District Attorney’s Office and received a Purple Heart and Medal of Valor from the Sheriff’s Office.

Elizaldi became a first responder in 2000 while working as an emergency medical technician. In February of 2005 the Tulare County Probation Office hired him as a Correctional Deputy. A year later he transferred to the Sheriff’s Office as a Correctional Deputy and began working at the Bob Wiley Detention Facility. As he gained experience in the division, he became a Jail Training Officer and began training new employees on the policy and procedures in the adult custody division. He also worked as part of the Sheriff’s Security Emergency Response Team and Classification Team. He is also currently in the process to re-certify as an emergency medical technician. His response and knowledge of medical emergencies earned him a letter of commendation in regards to his assistance in a situation that saved an inmate from taking his own life. He will be assigned to the Main Jail.

Landin began his career with the Sheriff’s Office in August of 2005. He was hires as a Deputy Trainee where he worked at the Main Jail. In September of 2007 he reclassified to the position of Correctional Deputy. He has assisted the department in a variety of details such as Operation LOCCUST, which received national recognition, and numerous local warrant details. He has served as the Main Jail Facility Administrative Deputy for over two years and has overseen a variety of projects including the refurbishing of the facility. He is a member of the Sheriff’s Honor Guard, Sheriff’s Security Emergency Response Team, Detentions Gang Unit and is a Terrorism Liaison Officer. In 2008, the members of the Tulare County Deputy Sheriff’s Association voted him the Detentions Officer of the Year for his hard work and dedication.