Eureka Police Department press release: 

The Eureka Police Department is very proud to announce the recent staffing enhancement to our Community Safety Enhancement Team (CSET) and Mobile Intervention Services Team (MIST). On 11-01-2018, Dennis Gagnon was hired as our Measure Z funded Parks and Waterfront Ranger.

Dennis is originally from Eugene, Oregon where he served in the United States Coast Guard for two years. He then transferred to the Humboldt County Coast Guard station, where he spent approximately 10 years of regular service and 4 years as a Coast Guard reserve.  Dennis attended the College of the Redwoods Police Academy and was hired by the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) in 2006. During his time with the HCSO, Dennis held the positions of K-9 handler, Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) team member, and Field Training Officer. This position is a vital component of CSET, which will now allow for seven-day-a-week law enforcement coverage along the 6.5 miles of beautiful Waterfront Trail and our city parks.

This position will also allow us to increase our community outreach and more staffing to address the quality of life issues we continue to encounter. Dennis is ideal for this position, not only for his law enforcement experience, but also the fact that Dennis worked for several years with the Eureka Rescue Mission and St Vincent de Paul providing direct service and job support to members of the facilities. We are very excited to have him as the newest member of our department.