The French Valley Jail Officially Has A New Name

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA -- At the behest of the Board of Supervisors, the Southwest Detention Center in French Valley was renamed Tuesday in honor of a former Riverside County sheriff to the Cois M. Byrd Detention Center.

"I appreciate this opportunity," Byrd told the board. "I thank you so much for the honor."

Byrd, with his wife Evelyn at his side, stood in the board chamber at the County Administrative Center, recounting how the jail came into being on his watch.

The former sheriff said neither the detention center nor the adjacent Southwest Justice Center, comprising courtrooms and offices for the District Attorney's Office and the Office of the Public Defender, would have been built without a donation of 52 acres from a longtime landowner.

"It was a dream come true," Byrd said.

He recalled his career in the sheriff's office, which spanned 35 years, and acknowledged his father and brother, both of whom were also county employees, working in the then-Riverside County Road Department for 30 and 42 years, respectively.

"Our family has participated and drawn funds for sustenance from Riverside County for many years," Byrd joked.

The career lawman signed on with the sheriff's department following a three-year stint in the U.S. Marine Corps. He was sworn in as a deputy on June 22, 1959, and came up through the ranks, in the meantime earning a bachelor's degree in criminal science and a master's degree in public administration.

He was elected to be the county's 10th sheriff in June 1986 and was re- elected four years later, retiring on Dec. 24, 1994.

As a sheriff's captain, Byrd was pivotal in securing funds for vocational programs in the county jail system, seeking to establish a means for inmates to acquire skills that would permit them to better integrate into the workforce, according to the county's official biography.

Byrd also lent a hand writing lesson plans for Peace Officer Standards & Training courses at Riverside City College and introduced the "Officer in the Classroom" program in the Jurupa Unified School District, to present the positive side of law enforcement to youths.

While sheriff, Byrd oversaw an armament transition that ensured deputies were deployed with semiautomatic firearms to match the weaponry that they were encountering in the field, among criminals. He also pushed for upgrades to the public safety communications system and was there to help dedicate the Robert Presley Detention Center when it opened on Sept. 20, 1989, in downtown Riverside. It was the first large-scale county correctional facility built in 50 years.

"As sheriff, he exemplified what it means to be a professional in the evolving and challenging field of law enforcement," according to a board proclamation. "It is only fitting and proper that the Southwest Detention Center be renamed in his honor."

-- By City News Service / Patch file photo by Maggie Avants