Providing emergency communications via amateur radio as a volunteer for the Los Angeles Sheriffs Disaster Communications Service (DCS-22) for nearly 43 years, Norm Goodkin was honored on August 12 as Volunteer in Policing of the Year by the California Reserve Peace Officers Association. By Annemarie Donkin (KK6 AJX) As an active amateur radio operator since 1957, Norm Goodkin, MS, MBA, PMP, is the cheerful, friendly and most generous teacher, expert amateur radio instructor and examiner who has volunteered for the L.A. County Sheriffs Department since 1979. With a background in Information Technology (IT), Norm is also currently working with the Las Virgenes Coalition of Governments to organize their participation in InterOp22. Yet, it was his decades of work for the L.A. Sheriffs Department for which he was awarded Volunteer in Policing of the Year by the California Reserve Peace Officers Association. (The California Reserve Peace Officers Association was founded in 1974 for the purpose of raising the professional, educational and employment standards of reserve peace officers). “Norm received one of our top awards as volunteer,� said Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriffs Captain Jennifer Seetoo. “His dedication to the community is truly remarkable … his volunteer services were invaluable and we are indebted to him as we continue our partnership with the entire DCS team, they are part of the solution. We are trying to get funding or a donor to buy them a new DCS truck. They are the experts when the communications go down. It’s a well-deserved honor, Norm is an amazing resource.� Norm and Naomi Goodkin “I’m currently active in the Amateur Radio community, teaching classes, participating in emergency drills, and helping in actual emergencies when needed,� Norm wrote. “My wife, Naomi, and I teach quarterly entry-level classes in Calabasas. We also teach electronics and radio classes for businesses, government agencies and communities.� In fact, folks in the Santa Monica Mountains communities know that Norm Goodkin (K6YXH) and his wife, Naomi (WB6 OHW) are the experts who have guided more than 2,000 people to qualify for their HAM radio licenses over the past 12 years. Goodkin said they have also been teaching emergency service groups how to use NBEMS, a radio-based messaging system.  “Naomi and I are active in the LA County Disaster Communications Service (L.A. DCS) the Los Angeles Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES LAX), the Topanga Coalition for Emergency Preparedness Disaster Radio Team (TCEP DRT) and the Conejo Valley Amateur Radio Club (CVARC).� During his career, Goodkin has been involved with IT organization and workflow. “I’ve developed requirements, tested software and developed processes on very large projects in the US and UK,� he wrote. “As a Project Management Professional (PMP) I consulted in England for ten years, on the East Coast for ten years and in the Los Angeles area for six years, working for government and commercial clients.� He also served as the representative for the Lost Hills Station to the managing committee of L.A. County DCS and taught amateur radio classes for the public, sworn officers, the liaison sergeants and most of the Search and Rescue Team. Yet, it is the DCS radio team that Goodkin is most involved with, helping to keep radio communications up and running in the Santa Monica Mountains communities when the electricity goes out. Disaster Communications Service The Los Angeles County Disaster Communications Service (DCS-22) is a volunteer organization administered by the Sheriffs Department for the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors operating as the Emergency Operations Board (EOB). Goodkin and his DCS team are also specialists in Volunteer Disaster Communications serving the Cities of Agoura Hills, Calabasas, Hidden Hills, Malibu, Westlake Village and Western Los Angeles County from Chatsworth to the Pacific Ocean. The current DCS-22 organization consists of more than 75 amateur radio operators, operating their personally owned radios and donating their time and equipment at no cost to the taxpayers. Working with Goodkin on the DCS Leadership team are District Communications Officer Tom Cagan (KB6NQW); Asst. District Communications Officer Howard Glober (KG6OFS); District Operations Officer Steve Lovejoy (KD6HC); District Records Officer Mark Winn (KK6 LYI); Station Liaison Reserve Team Leader Tom Fakehany (N6FDR); Asst. Station Liaison, Reserve Deputy Clark Bell; Asst. Station Liaison, Reserve Deputy Amin Ballout; LASD DCS Supervisor Sgt. Ray Armstrong and LASD DCS Asst. Supervisor Deputy Landin Sanchez. Local Accolades: “It was about 12 years since I got my first license with both Norm and Naomi,� said David Goldenberg of Woodland Hills. “He helps license about 150 a year. It’s a huge impact. He’s really good at engagement—he gives you a license to learn and how to use a radio.� “Norm’s my hero,� said Logan Brashear of Malibu. “He’s been the most helpful and given me all that I know about HAM radio.� For details and more information, contact Norm at hamclass@goodkin.net or online at hamclass.goodkin.net.