Steven Parsons was born on February 1, 1964 in Pasadena, California. He spent his formative years in both Pasadena and Costa Mesa, California. He graduated from Costa Mesa High School in 1982 and graduated from California State University Long Beach with a B.S. degree in Criminal Justice in 1988.
- October 1989, Steve Parsons was selected and appointed as Deputy Sheriff Trainee with the Orange County Sheriff's Department
- February 1990, upon graduation from the Basic Academy, Steve was assigned to work in the Intake/Release Center in Santa Ana.
- 1993 graduated from California State University Long Beach with a Masters of Public Administration (MPA).
- October 1993, promoted to Deputy Sheriff II.
- October 1994, transferred to South Operations Division (Patrol).
- October 27, 1995, assigned to the city of Laguna Hills and became 1st motorcycle patrolman.
- June 24 2000, passed away after being involved in a traffic collision in the city of Laguna Hills while on motorcycle patrol.
Professional and Personal Accomplishments
Deputy Steven Edward Parsons was much more than a man who was born and tragically died 36 years later. During his lifetime, Steven Parsons, son, husband, father, friend and fellow Deputy Sheriff, touched many lives. Steve was, and will continue to be, a role model for children, fathers, friends and other police officers, intent on being the best they could possibly be.
As is the custom, the background of a Sheriff's Deputy applicant involves intense scrutiny from the date of birth to the date of application. Literally, this includes a person's entire life. Prior to being sworn as a Deputy Sheriff, Steve worked as a busboy, payroll clerk, sales clerk, student police department intern, operations manager and procurement coordinator. Ironically, the comments provided by previous employers echoed those mentioned by his future supervisors within the Sheriff's Department who expressed such official comments as:
- His progress has been remarkably rapid.
- His consistent productivity during this rating time is the highest I have ever seen, and that covers a lot of very good deputies.
- He is calm, professional and businesslike in his demeanor.
- His unusually high number of traffic enforcement and citizen contacts never resulted in even one Personnel Investigation – a situation much against the odds which speaks well for his communication and public relations skills. Based upon his skills, Deputy Steven Parsons was nominated and named Deputy Sheriff of the Year for 1998 for the city of Laguna Hills.
In 1997, Deputy Steve Parsons was selected as the first deputy to be assigned to motorcycle patrol in the city of Laguna Hills. In his nomination for the coveted Gold Star Award, merely two and one half weeks prior to his death, Steve Parsons was lauded as "having single-handedly impacted traffic safety resulting in significant decreases in traffic accidents". "During Steve's first year as a motorcycle enforcement officer, his hard work and relentless drive, resulted in a traffic citations increasing over 150% while traffic accidents were reduced by an astounding 40%".
Reflections
Deputy Parson's friends, fellow deputies, as well as the public he served in the city of Laguna Hills every day will sorely miss him. His fellow deputies described him as totally wrapped up in his family. His constant comments to fellow deputies about his wife and children always showed both admiration and meaningful pride. 'He was the 1st deputy selected for a motorcycle assignment in Laguna Hills. He was always a hard charger, had the needed tenacity and never rested." He was often asked to "SLOW DOWN" because others couldn't keep up with him.
One of his best friends, and fellow traffic officer, speaks of the time Steve stopped a young man on a small motorcycle because he had no helmet. After "meaningful dialogue" the rider was allowed to ride home on the condition he obtain an approved helmet. Some weeks later, another deputy saw the motorcyclist riding down the street. The rider proudly pointed to his helmet which was inscribed on the back with "PARSONS APPROVED" accompanied by a "happy face." This is but one example of the overall impact DEPUTY STEVE PARSONS HAD UPON THE CITIZENS OF SOUTH ORANGE COUNTY, PARTICULARLY THOSE HE FAITHFULLY SERVED IN THE CITY OF LAGUNA HILLS.
Steve is survived by his wife Kathy, his daughter Kelsey six years old, and his son Nathan who is three. He is also survived by his mother, father and sister. He will be greatly missed by his family and the men and women of the Orange County Sheriff's Department.
