Policing was not the career Shaheen Jahangard’s parents envisioned for him, he joked recently; they had hoped he would choose medicine or law.
For a time he worked in marketing and as an editor for a research journal, but ultimately found law enforcement was the right fit.
Since joining the Irvine Police Department in 2006 as a patrol officer, Jahangard has thrived.
He became a detective in 2009 and now serves on two elite policing groups, the Special Investigative Unit and SWAT team.
In March, he was named the department’s Officer of the Year.
“I feel that policing is one of the most noble professions,” he said at an award banquet March 19, an annual event put on for the department by the Exchange Club of Irvine.
The department’s Rookie Officer of the Year award went to Officer Agustina Arias, hired in 2013. Last year, Arias received the Heroes with Heart award from the Trauma Intervention Program of Orange County for her work with the department.
Kasandra Bowden, records supervisor with the Business Services Bureau, was named Civilian of the Year. Bowden, who oversees the department’s Records Unit and business desk, has been with the Irvine department since 2003.
The event, the 44th annual such gathering, was the best-attended yet, organizers said.
Hundreds gathered for dinner in the grand ballroom of the Irvine Marriott Hotel.
Among the attendees were members of the department’s volunteer program, retired police officers, Irvine city staff, local politicians and a small coterie of Special Olympic athletes, including athlete Jay White, who sang the national anthem.
Other Irvine Police Department employees were also recognized at the banquet, earning awards for:
Meritorious Service: Sgt. James Hutchcraft, officers Rick Gramer, Haldor Larum, Kayla Wiebe and Jenny Lindsay, public safety assistant Bianca Ortiz, dispatch supervisor Michelle Riske
Community Policing: Reserve Officer Joshua Assayag, Officer Sean-Paul Crawford
Lifesaving: Officers Ryan Hutton, Kevin Von Luft, Keith Herter, Craig Huffmire, Heather Phillips
Contact the writer: 714-796-2221 or sdecrescenzo@ocregister.com
