Simi native rewarded for efforts in combating the city's street gangs
SVHS grad named 2007 'Officer of the Year'
By Kyle Jorrey kjorrey@theacorn.com

IRIS SMOOT/Acorn Newspapers Officer Brian Young

If anyone knows the challenge of working gang detail, it's Sgt. Darin Muehler, who nearly 10 years ago became the first Simi Valley gang enforcement officer in the department's newly created Special Problems section.

So when Muehler, an 18-year veteran of the Simi force, says he sees someone special on his team- a group of four officers specifically assigned to targeting known gang members- his opinion goes a long way.

The strong praise for gang enforcement officer Brian Young from seasoned officers like Muehler led to Young's selection as this year's Simi Valley Police Department Officer of the Year. It's a title rarely given to an officer in just the seventh year of his career.

A gang enforcement officer "has to be able to do good investigative work with little or no supervision. They have to have the maturity and the wherewithal to make the right decision when the time comes," Muehler said. "Brian has those abilities. That's why he was chosen. That's what makes him Officer of the Year."

Young becomes the second consecutive "local boy" to be selected for the honor. Last year the award went to K9 officer Rick Morton, also a product of the Simi Valley school system.

Young graduated from Simi Valley High in 1996.

When asked how he felt about being honored as Officer of the Year, Young, who first came to the department in July 2000, responded as those who know him would expect- humbly.

"My feelings even now, are that any number of people in our department could have gotten this," Young, 29, said. "It was just lucky that I ended up with it. It's just funny."

His colleagues, and especially his supervising officer, disagree.

"We've chosen officers of the year in the past who aren't even close to the type of officer that Brian has been," said Muehler, who's been working directly with Young since November.

"It's not a dig on them," Muehler said. "I will just say that Brian has been one of the hardest-working officers to win the honor I've known."

As a gang enforcement officer, Young must learn everything he can about organized crime within the city. Much of his work involves piecing together clues to try and solve a bigger puzzle, a challenge the young officer said he enjoys.

"This assignment gives us the freedom to basically go out and become experts on certain members of our community- gang members, members of the transient population- to really have the time to dig deeper and get to know the people you're dealing with," Young said. "When you're working patrol, you really don't have the time to do that."

Young graduated from Sonoma State University with a degree in criminal justice before joining the SVPD.

He said he was inspired to join the force while sitting in a classroom and listening to a presentation by the now-retired Capt. Tony Harper and Sgt. Randy Foushee.

He also got some priming at an early age from current Student Resource Officer John St. Laurent, who Young admits was his DARE officer in the sixth grade.

"I joke with him a lot about it," Young laughed, "but seriously, the way he interacted with us as students was really my first taste of what a policeman is like. And he was great. He's really an awesome person and police officer."

Though he might be tightlipped when the subject is himself, Young is happy to talk about why he applied to only one department after graduating from college.

"I grew up here. I have an extensive family here. Simi Valley is the kind of town that when you're growing up here you take it for granted, but once you leave you begin to appreciate the type of city it actually is," Young said.

"And it's really a great department," he said. "The quality of officer here is something unique."

Whatever the reason, there's no doubt the department is happy to have him.

According to Muehler, Young's "old school" police work has been vital as the unit works around the clock on two suspected gangrelated shootings that occurred in the last six months, one of which led to the death of 18year-old Luis Torres.

Daniel Ramirez, a suspected gang member, was arrested in March by Simi Valley police and charged with first-degree murder, in part because of the work done by Officer Young.

"He's written four or five search warrants since January just on that one case," Muehler said.

"He's got a knack for digging things up," the sergeant added.

Young and his wife make their home in Simi Valley.