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Community Corner

Meet Scotts Valley Police Chief John Weiss

Scotts Valley's chief of police balances a busy life with family and his artwork.

Scotts Valley Patch: What is your occupation?

John Weiss: Chief of police.

Patch: Where were you born?

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Weiss: Los Gatos.

Patch: Where were you educated?

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Weiss: Sonoma State and San Jose State, with a BA and Master's degree in Criminal Justice Administration.

Patch: How long have you lived in Scotts Valley?

Weiss: Twenty-one years.

Patch: What brought you to the area?

Weiss: I convinced then Chief Stephen Walpole to hire me at the police department. He's still in therapy over that decision.

Patch: What is something you are known for?

Weiss: My cartoons and artwork.

Patch: What is your latest project?

Weiss: Updating our police department's mobile data computers and records management system.

Patch: Book you last read?

Weiss: Baumeister and Tierney's Will Power. The authors note: "Self-regulation failure is the major social pathology of our time." I tend to agree. Charles Frazier's Nightwoods awaits my attention, and I am in the middle of Jim Harrison's The Great Leader.

Patch: Newspaper or magazine you read regularly?

Weiss: The Wall Street Journal, Santa Cruz Sentinel, SV Press Banner, SV Patch, among others.

Patch: Movie you could watch again and again?

Weiss: Gladiator. Great cinematography, haunting music and a true illustration of great leadership.

Patch: Favorite thing to do in your spare time?

Weiss: Spend time with my wife and son.

Patch: What is one of your most gratifying accomplishments?

Weiss: Being there for my father as he descended into the fog of Alzheimer's. The son became the father, the father became the son, and I am proud to have given a small measure back for so much I received.

Patch: What is your greatest indulgence?

Weiss: A glass of aged Silver Oak coupled with a piece of salted dark chocolate.

Patch: One of your most memorable vacations?

Weiss: New Orleans with my wife. Great cuisine, culture and history.

Patch: What is a goal you are chasing after?

Weiss: To paint as well as Scott L. Christensen. I have studied landscape painting with Scott extensively and hope to mature as an oil landscape painter.

Patch: What do you like most about life in Scotts Valley?

Weiss: The fine people in this community are a pleasure to serve, and we are blessed by the surrounding mountain beauty.

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