The St. Helena Police Department has lost one of its most familiar faces: Investigator Jane Hinshaw is leaving for the Napa County District Attorney’s office.

In her new job, she will conduct investigations for District Attorney Gary Lieberstein and his staff. When agencies like the St. Helena Police Department submit cases, the district attorney’s office often determines whether they merit additional interviews or other investigation. The office must also issue subpoenas so the right people show up in court.

“It’s still part of the whole law enforcement thing,” Hinshaw said. “It’s just that I’m going to be playing in the bigger sandbox now.”

Hinshaw, who has served St. Helena for five years, said she decided to leave to be closer to her family. She lives in Napa with her husband and two children, 11 and 8. Working 12-hour shifts in St. Helena, in conjunction with her husband’s commute to Santa Rosa, ultimately meant too much time apart.

“This job’s going to allow me to live in Napa,” she said. “My workplace is very close to my home now. It’s hard to work a 12-hour patrol shift and be a parent.”

St. Helena Police Chief Monty Castillo said that until he chooses a new investigator, St. Helena cops will conduct all their own follow-up work, including additional interviews and search warrants.

The St. Helena Police Department has been struggling to reach full staffing levels, and with Hinshaw’s departure three positions will be open. But Castillo said two recent academy graduates are going through the background check process, and should be joining the force in February.

With those positions filled, the only remaining slot will be that of Sgt. Wayne Martin, who recently retired after being absent due to a work-related injury for about a year. Although Cpl. Ramon Jovel’s recent promotion makes him a possible candidate for Martin’s position, Castillo said he hasn’t decided how to fill that spot.

Hinshaw said that being short-staffed strains the remaining officers, and forces the department to focus on maintenance instead of striving for improvement.

Tight-knit community

Hinshaw said she would miss St. Helena’s tight-knit community, and the way the department’s beat structure, instituted by Castillo, helps cops form close relationships with the residents they serve. Hinshaw’s beat covered the central business district, and she came to value frequent one-on-one interaction with members of the business community. Learning people’s needs directly from them, rather than through the City Council or the St. Helena Star, is a huge help, she said.

Hinshaw will particularly miss working with St. Helena’s kids. She said a lot of cases, especially those involving children, “involve your heart.” She hopes that the young people she’s worked with who have been victimized will be able to put their painful experiences behind them.

“I think that on the other side of the problem now, their life is better,” she said. “I’m really proud of what they did to contribute to catching a bad guy and stopping things from happening. You’ll never forget cases like that, but you’ll hope that somehow it made a difference, and those children will have a better life.”

She said that some aspects of the job are difficult, such as having to arrest someone in front of his or her family. Investigating the town’s two sexual assaults was also unpleasant, particularly because there have been no arrests.

Events like the sexual assaults and the 2004 murder of Leonicio Pimienta indicate a changing community, she said.

“It used to be that St. Helena was a place where you didn’t lock your doors or your car,” she said. “We’re not a community that can afford to do that any longer if we want to not be continually victimized.”

Hinshaw has served under three St. Helena police chiefs: now-City Manager Bert Johansson, Robert Wedell and Castillo. A major part of the chief’s job is interacting with the community, she said. If a particular chief is not in step with the community, day-to-day police work becomes much more difficult. She said Castillo’s tenure has seen a rise in the community’s confidence and willingness to work with the police.

“When the fire department rolls in, they’re always the good guys,” she said. “But when the police department rolls in, we have to do the hard stuff that isn’t always popular and doesn’t always makes people happy. That’s hard to do, but the more in step with the community we are, the easier it gets.”