GEORGE J. GUEVARA
Guevara@thevine.net

ABBREVIATED BIO:

Deputy Guevara had 21 years of law enforcement experience (20 as a Deputy Sheriff and one as a Reserve Police Officer for the City of Burbank).  Deputy Guevara’s experience in the area of drug/alcohol training starts with his tenure while working in the custody division, where hundreds of contacts were made with suspects who had been arrested for all phases of narcotics and drugs, to include under the influence, possession, possession for sales and ways to conceal the signs and symptoms of drug intoxication as well as concealing the drug.  Deputy Guevara has testified as an expert witness in several municipal and superior courts regarding; under the influence possession and possession for sales cases in the following drugs:  Alcohol, marijuana, cocaine (both rock and powder), methamphetamine, heroin, PCP, prescription drugs, over the counter medications and drug combinations.  Deputy Guevara has received numerous in-service training sessions, regarding identification, packaging and in the use of drugs/narcotics.

 Deputy Guevara’s drug/alcohol schooling includes attendance at the P.O.L.A.C. (Peace Officers of Los Angeles County), D.U.I. Expo.  This exposition dealt with drug/alcohol recognition and identification, the use of horizontal gaze nystagmus (HGN) and the use of the Standardized Field Sobriety Tests (S.F.S.T.) as clues to drug and or alcohol impairment.  Additionally this exposition dealt with the area of driving patterns consistent with the impaired driver.  Deputy Guevara has also attended the L.A.S.D. Basic Narcotic Education School.  This training consisted of the driving patterns of drug/alcohol impaired drivers, the effects of drugs/alcohol and drug combinations on the body, the use of HGN as a clue to impairment and the use of the S.F.S.T.’s.  This additionally included signs and symptoms of drug intoxication.  Deputy Guevara has also participated as both a student and instructor in many alcohol correlation studies. 

 Deputy Guevara is also a recognized drug/alcohol training instructor through P.O.S.T. (Commission of Peace Officer Standards and Training) in California.  Deputy Guevara was selected from his department of approximately 10,000 people to attend the US Department of Transportation, L.A.P.D. hosted Drug Recognition Expert School.  During the following six-month certification period,  Deputy Guevara was able to certify in all seven-drug categories.  Deputy Guevara is also one of 10 certified DRE instructors in the LA Sheriff’s Department.

Deputy Guevara has provided drug/alcohol impairment and recognition training sessions at Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station, Temple Sheriff’s station, Pitchess (East Facility), and North County Correctional Facility.  Deputy Guevara is an instructor at the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Academy and has lectured in the areas of drug/alcohol identification and recognition for both advanced officer training (D.A.R.T.) school and cadet training.  Deputy Guevara is also an instructor in the Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) Program and DRE pre-schools as well as the DRE Instructor schools for the Los Angeles Police Department, Monrovia Police Department, Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, Burbank Police Department, Santa Ana Police Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. 

 Deputy Guevara has been a guest lecturer at the community college level and spoke in the area of D.U.I. enforcement.  Deputy Guevara has been profiled in southland newspapers for his commitment to D.U.I. enforcement.  Deputy Guevara has authored  several articles in the area of drug intoxication (both public and Sheriff’s Department periodicals).  Deputy Guevara has re-written the LA Sheriff’s Departments D.U.I. and boating manuals.  Deputy Guevara has made over 1800 arrests for D.U.I. and an additional 600 arrests for 11550 H & S.  Deputy Guevara has been a guest speaker on two AM radio stations speaking in the area of alcohol intoxication.  Guevara has been commended twice by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office with regards to report writing and courtroom testimony.  Deputy Guevara was given a certificate of recognition by the City of Santa Clarita for Outstanding Community Service and Commended by the Fifth District Supervisor, County of Los Angeles for recognition of dedicated Service and Civic Pride.  Deputy Guevara is a recipient of the MADD Century and Double Century Club Award.   Deputy Guevara is a recipient of the Exemplary Service Award and the Meritorious Service Award from the L.A. Sheriff’s Department for devotion to duty and enhancement of the Department Image.  In April 2000, Deputy Guevara was profiled in the syndicated TV show “Crime Strike” for his efforts in DUI enforcement.

George Guevara can be reached via email at Guevara@thevine.net