Advisory Committee Members

California Academy Directors’ Association (CADA)

Walter is a 44-year law enforcement veteran and initially served as a Police Officer II and SWAT Team member with the Chino Police Department. He also served as a Special Agent and eventually the Assistant Chief for the California Department of Justice, Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement.

In 2003, Walter was appointed by former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Director of the California’s Youth Offender Correctional System, the California Youth Authority. He also served as the Governor’s Chief of the Office of Correctional Safety (OCS) for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation in 2005. In 2006, Governor Schwarzenegger appointed Walter to the POST Commission where he served as a Commissioner for 4 years. Since 2014, Walter has served as the Director of the Rio Hondo Police Academy at Rio Hondo College in Whittier, California, overseeing police academy training for newly hired police recruits from law enforcement agencies throughout Southern California. Walter is presently a City Council Member for the City of Covina, marking his 22nd year on the Covina City Council and he served as the Mayor in 2019 for the 4th time.

Walter possesses a BS Degree in Urban Planning from Cal Poly University and a Master of Science Degree in Law Enforcement Executive Leadership from California Southern University. He is a graduate of the Rio Hondo Police Academy, Class No. 36, the California Department of Justice Special Agent Academy and the 172 ^nd Session of the FBI National Academy. 

Sergeant Elmo Banning is a retired veteran officer with the Sacramento City Police Department.  During his 28 year career he was assigned to a variety of positions.  He served for over 10 years in the Patrol/Field Operations Division as an Officer and Sergeant.  He has an extensive investigative background and served over 18 years in the Detective Division, 13 of which as a supervisor in the Narcotic's Division.  Sergeant Banning was appointed as a Special Task Force Agent with the State of California's Department of Justice, Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement for two years.  He has attended several specialized schools over the years and is a graduate of the United States Drug Enforcement Administration's, Drug Unit Commanders Academy, located in Quantico, Virginia.  The California Narcotic Officers' Association has recognized him twice as the "Narcotic Officer of the Year".

Sergeant Banning is the managing director of D∙PREP, a company that trains police officers, firefighters, building managers and school personnel in the effective management of critical incidents. Sergeant Banning presents a critical incident response course for supervisors and managers on a national level and has taught throughout the entire United States, including POST courses.

Appointed Sheriff of Calaveras County since May 2016 and resident of Calaveras County for 40 years, Sheriff DiBasilio leads the mission to provide competent, effective public safety services to all persons with the highest regard for human dignity through efficient, professional, and ethical law enforcement and crime prevention practices.

Sheriff DiBasilio started with the Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office in 2002.  He has worked a variety of assignments including Patrol, Investigations and Narcotics. Prior to being elected as Sheriff of Calaveras County in November 2018, Sheriff DiBasilio had worked as a Patrol Sergeant and a Detective assigned to Homicides, Elder Abuse, Sexual Assaults and General Property Crimes. He was also a former School Resource Officer, Bike Team member, Sheriff’s Explorer Advisor, Background Investigator, Departmental Instructor, SWAT Team member and Gang Investigator.

Sheriff DiBasilio has continued to ensure effective communications across county agencies, first responders and the general public.

Professor Kathleen Oborn was appointed to the position of president of the California Association of Administration of Justice Educators (CAAJE), representing the administration of justice/criminal justice faculty throughout the state. As part of her CAAJE responsibilities, she also serves on the California Community College State Chancellor’s Education Advisory Committee and was elected vice-chair.

During her 25+ years in higher education, she has served in a multitude of positions such as Associate Dean, Academic Senate President and department chair. Her M.S. in Educational Psychology and Counseling and her B.A. in Sociology were both earned from California State University, Northridge, and her A.A. degree in Criminal Justice is from Pierce College. She has been a tenured professor of criminal justice at Pierce College since 2002 and teaches part time in the Criminology and Justice Studies program at CSU Northridge. Since 2008, she has served as the district chair for Criminal Justice for the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD). She is also a course reviewer for criminal justice curricula for the California community colleges.

Kathleen started her public safety career in 1983 when she was hired as an officer with the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles Community College District Police Department. She is also a Los Angeles County Reserve Deputy Probation Officer, a certified Crime and Intelligence Analyst through the California Department of Justice and a member of many criminal justice organizations such as the International Association of Crime Analysts (IACA) and the American Society of Criminology.

Chief Jason Salazar was appointed as Chief of Police for the City of Visalia on February 17, 2015.   Chief Salazar has served with the Visalia Police Department for 26 years holding assignments in patrol, investigations, and SWAT.   As a Lieutenant, he held command of the Special Enforcement Bureau, which included Gangs, Narcotics, and SWAT.   As Captain, he held command of both the Operations and Support Divisions.

Chief Salazar holds a Master’s Degree in Leadership Studies, a Bachelor’s Degree in Organizational Leadership, and an Associate Degree in the Administration of Justice.  He is a graduate of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Leadership Program, the Senior Management Institute for Police, and POST Command College Class #55.  Chief Salazar also serves as a board member for the Tulare County Mental Health Board and is actively involved in his community.   

Julie Spry is a seventeen-year veteran of the Los Angeles School Police Department. In 2013, she was promoted to her current rank of Sergeant. During her tenure at the department, Sergeant Spry has worked a variety of assignments, including being the officer in charge of the Social Media Team, Community Relations, the department’s Public Information Officer, day and night patrol, and the burglary suppression unit. She is also a current member of the department’s Honor Guard. Sergeant Spry has distinguished herself not only as an innovator and leader but an integral part of the school community.

Sergeant Spry currently serves as a Director for the Los Angeles School Police Management Association and holds various other titles within the police department and school district.

Juan Viramontes is a sergeant with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. He began his career in 1995, and has since served in a variety of positions, including in the jails as a sergeant at the Intake/Release Center (IRC) and as a deputy at the Theo Lacy Facility. He has worked Patrol in Stanton, North Operations and the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) plainclothes right-of-way team. He has also been assigned to both Harbor Court and West Court.

Juan currently sits on several boards, including Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) Lodge Trustee, Trustee of Medical and Insurance Benefits Trust, California Coalition of Law Enforcement Associations, and California Peace Officers’ Memorial Foundation Scholarship Committee.

Since March 2020, Sergeant Viramontes has been the President of the Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs (AOCDS). As an active AOCDS member since 1998, and AOCDS Board Member since 2012, he works closely with the units he represents – the Sheriff’s Department, District Attorney’s Office, Probation Department, and Parks.