The State of the Sheriff’s Office in 2025
By Ian Parkinson
SLO County Sheriff
Before I begin this column, I want to first wish everyone a very happy, safe, and prosperous 2025! That’s how I typically start my first column of the new year. And I see no reason to change that now. Especially since I feel like, over the past few years, we’ve seen nothing but change at the Sheriff’s Office. And while I’m not generally superstitious, I’m going to knock on wood and maybe even throw a pinch of salt over my shoulder, and say I feel like things are finally getting back to normal. And I mean that in the best possible way. And so, with that in mind, I present to you my seventh annual State of the Sheriff’s Office.
I feel like it really started to go sideways for our county and country in 2020 with the dramatic rise of Covid cases. That really altered the way we did business here at the Sheriff’s Office and in fact, in the way we lived our lives. We had to adapt not only for the safety of our people but for the safety of the community at large.
In February of 2020, we served search warrants at the home of Paul Flores, as well as his sister, mother, and father. Physical evidence recovered during these searches led to the service of an additional search warrant at Flores’ residence in April of that year. This news made national and international headlines.
Then in June of that same year, it seemed chaos came to our county. We had three shootings in a four-month span. It started with an active shooter situation which began in Paso Robles and lasted for a day and a half. During that time, the suspect killed a man and shot one of our Deputies in the face, seriously wounding him. It ended when the suspect was located and shot and killed by law enforcement officers. Then in August, another active shooter situation, this time in Nipomo, when a suspect began firing indiscriminately in the parking lot of a shopping center. Amazingly, no one was hurt. The suspect was shot and killed by law enforcement officers. And finally, in September, we had an officer involved shooting which took place in Templeton. The wanted suspect in this case was fleeing from law enforcement when he shot and wounded one of our Deputies. Minutes later, the gunman was shot and killed by Deputies.
In 2021, there was no bigger story than our arrest of Paul Flores for the murder of Cal Poly student Kristin Smart. This investigation had really gained steam in March of 2021, when Detectives served a search warrant at the Arroyo Grande home of Ruben Flores, the father of Paul Flores. That’s when we discovered a spot under Ruben’s deck of disturbed dirt about the size of a human body. Digging down, we were able to unearth a “decomposition stain” which contained human blood. We believe Paul buried Kristin underneath the deck after he killed her. As a result, Paul was arrested on April 13, 2021. This was a 25-year-old murder mystery that was finally solved by a lot of good people at the Sheriff’s Office. Once again, this case made news all over the world.
2022 saw the conviction of Paul Flores for the murder of Kristin Smart. After a three-month trial in Monterey County, Flores was convicted by a jury of first-degree murder. I don’t think of this as a “win” for the Sheriff’s Office. Rather, I see it as a just verdict. It is my hope that we were able to bring some closure to the Smart family. Peace to our community. And justice, once and for all, for Kristin. This conviction again made headlines around the globe.
And now we come to 2023. It began in January when our area was hit by a torrential downpour of rain in a short amount of time. A 5-year-old boy was swept away by floodwaters near San Miguel, making national news. The Sheriff’s Office, along with first responder agencies from all over the state, conducted many searches for him over the course of several months, but sadly to no avail.
And then on March 10, 2023, a judge in Monterey County sentenced Paul Flores to 25 years to life in prison for the murder of Kristin Smart. During the sentencing, the judge called Flores “a cancer to society.” Thus, ending the long saga of finding justice for Kristin.
All of these things I just mentioned were major events. We don’t typically get this type of headline grabbing attention in 10, 20 or even 30 years. Instead, we got it all in four years. That’s why I feel 2024 was nothing in comparison to those previous years. Sure, we had our share of “typical” crimes like scams and thefts, but none of the headline-grabbing drama of past years. And that’s just fine by me.
So let me just finish by giving thanks to the men and women of the Sheriff’s Office who day in and day out, provide safety and security to all who live here. And I am grateful to you, the community, for making the place we call home a better place to live. So, here’s to a new year. Be good. And be good to one another.
Feature Image: San Luis Obispo County Sheriff Ian Parkinson addresses the public at a press conference in April 2021 after arresting Paul and Ruben Flores. Photo by Camille DeVaul/MBL
