COMMANDER'S MESSAGE
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Captain Joseph Zagorski was born in Chicago, IL, and
raised in Palm Desert, CA, where he lived until enlisting in the United States
Marine Corps after his high school graduation in 1990. During his enlistment, he obtained the rank
of Sergeant prior to the honorable completion of his enlistment in 1994. In 2004, after a successful career in
management with several retail organizations, he joined the California Highway
Patrol to pursue a career where he would be a part of a community of
individuals dedicated to serving and protecting others above all else, just as
he had experienced during his service in the United States Marine Corps.
Following graduation from the academy, he worked as a
field patrol officer in the South Los Angeles, Morongo Basin, and Indio CHP
Areas. During this time, he worked
numerous details and assignments including being a member of the CHP’s Honor
Guard, Special Response Team, assisting K9 teams with training and traffic
stops, human and drug trafficking details, combating street racing, gang
suppression details, and finally as a Public Information Officer. In 2009 he was awarded the Governor’s Gold
Medal of Honor when he, his sergeant and his partner prevented an individual
from committing suicide.
He promoted to the rank of sergeant in January of 2014
and worked as a field supervisor in the Fresno and Indio Area CHP offices. After returning to the Indio Area, he was
again assigned to the Border Division Honor Guard, helping plan and supervise
honor guard details and ceremonies. He also worked on several special projects,
including homeless encampment removals, investigations, and assisting with
traffic management plans for large scale concerts and several large sporting
events.
In October of 2018, he promoted to the rank of
Lieutenant and was assigned to the South Los Angeles Area office and while
assigned there, served in numerous capacities including; Field Operations
Officer, Administrative Lieutenant and Executive Officer, Southern Division Special
Response Team Manager, statewide Special Response Team training CADRE member,
Critical Incident Investigations Team leader, and Administrative and Operations
Manager for the Southern Division Street Racing Enforcement Unit and Task Force.
On January 2, 2023, he was promoted to
Captain and assigned to the Antelope Valley Area as Commander. Captain Zagorski is committed to building
relationships and trust between the California Highway Patrol and the
communities within our area, while maximizing the safety, service and security
to all who live in and travel through the Antelope Valley Area.
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