News of the California train wreck that took the lives of 11 people back in January spread quickly from coast to coast, with pictures and footage of landing in newspapers and on television screens across the country almost immediately.  But at the Los Angeles County Men's Central Jail, the accident hit far closer to home, claiming the life of a 23-year veteran deputy.

James Tutino, who was 47, was killed that day when a suicidal man parked his SUV on the train tracks in Glendale, causing the incident.  Ironically, the man who intended to take his own life escaped and was not injured, while Tutino lives on only in spirit at the Men's Central Jail.

Recently, Roger Ross, who oversees the jail's gang unit and worked closely with Tutino, talked with The Corrections Connection Network News about Tutino's legacy at the jail.  Ross said that Tutino will be very much missed by his colleagues and friends.

Q: How did you know Deputy Tutino?

Ross:  Fourteen years ago, I took over the gang unit at the central jail.  In 1993, I had an opening.  He approached me; he wanted to work gangs in the jail.  He had had a little background working with gangs prior to that, so I [hired him].

He kind-of became a jack-of-all-gangs.  He was my expert on the Aryan Brotherhood in California.  He had a background in the Mexican Mafia when he came.  He eventually became an expert on their activities in our jail.  He also followed the white supremacist movement.  He could tell you who all the leaders were and what organization they were with.  In fact, he wrote several articles for the Anti-Defamation League.

He was in the process of working with a couple that are putting together a movie [about] the white supremacist movement and the Nazi Low Riders (NLR).  [He was giving them some background information and talking with them about] how girls are involved.

Q: What were some of his prime responsibilities at the jail?

Ross: We have a gang unit and he kind of took the handle on white gangs and motorcycle gangs.  He knew all the Hells Angels here in California and knew what all the meanings were of the different patches [they wear].  We usually have an Asian gang deputy assigned to the unit.  When [he was] gone, [Tutino would] step in and take over that [job].  He kind-of became an expert on all the different gangs and I don't mean that superficially - he actually knew who the players were.

Q: What was his typical day like?

Ross: He would come into work [and] look at the log [to] see what had occurred since he'd been off.  He'd pull up crime reports.  If we had narcotics coming in, he'd pull in individuals involved with that [incident] and interview them to find out where the drug connection is [and] how it's getting in there.  Through the years, he just became so knowledgeable about how the jail operated [and] how the inmates operated.  Anytime I needed to know anything, I'd go to him. If he didn't have the information, then he'd know within a couple of hours.

Q: What was his relationship like with the inmates?

Ross: After he was killed in the accident, we started getting notes from inmates [saying that they] were sorry to hear about Jimmy.  He was straight with [the inmates].  We even had a former inmate call from Arizona asking if he could come to the funeral.  They respected him.  He didn't lie to them.  He didn't promise things he could not do.  They understood that.  As much as you combat the gangs and you try to put them away in jail, he operated within the legal boundaries and didn't disrespect them or anything.  They'd tell him what was happening.  He was sharp enough to know when they were BS-ing him and when they were giving him the truth.  They realized that he knew what they were talking about.  He understood how they lived their lives and what kind of conditions they were operating in.  He was very familiar the way these guys lived and operated and how they conducted their business.

Q: What are your fondest memories of Deputy Tutino?

Ross: He was just so dependable.  If we'd get called in the middle of the night, I'd call him up and say OK, I'll meet you down at the jail.  He usually beat me there.  As a supervisor, you knew you had the best guy for the job doing it.  Having him around, I didn't have to worry about [him] getting [me] the right information [I needed].

He had a great sense of humor.  He was a fun guy to work with.  He didn't take things too seriously and he never let his ego get in the way of the job.

He had so much knowledge [of his job] and there is just no way [that] I am going to find anybody to replace him.  He took the time to know all the different prison gangs and street gangs. He enjoyed working in the jail, which very few people do.  He was actually a perfect fit for the job, which [makes him] so difficult to replace.

A lot of guys who work in custody don't get the recognition they deserve as far as the knowledge they have.  I think Jim deserves a lot more credit than he ever got for the things he knew.  He knew who the [gang] players were, how they operated and what their structures were.   He knew who had killed who [and] who wasn't in good standing [with their gang].  You asked him [and] he gave you what he knew.  I learned through working with him that what he told me was going to be factual.

He was great to the young deputies if they had questions.  You couldn't ask him a dumb question.  He wouldn't embarrass you.  He'd sit down and teach you.  He loved talking to new guys, young guys, coming in. I think that's probably what people will miss the most.

What I am going to miss most [is that] I could give him any kind of assignment and within a few days, he'd figure out what was going on and how to do it.