Ernest C. Roe, a longtime law enforcement official, passed away Aug. 29, 2018, at the age of 66.
Roe began his law enforcement career as a San Joaquin County deputy sheriff and in 1985 became the supervisor of the California Department of Corrections training academy at Sierra Conservation Center in Jamestown.
According to his obituary notice in the Stockton Record, he also worked as a teacher at Mule Creek State Prison.
He transferred to the Deuel Vocational Institution in Tracy in 1987, later becoming the assistant chief of education and an associate warden.
Two years later, he transferred to the California Correctional Institution at Tehachapi. While there he promoted to chief deputy warden and “took charge of the operations of the minimum-, medium- and maximum-security facilities, as well as the reception area,” according to the Los Angeles Times, Aug. 25, 1994. “Roe’s duties at Tehachapi included overseeing the prison’s medical services, housing and recreation programs, classification and discipline of prisoners and its records department.”
In 1994 he was appointed warden at California State Prison, Los Angeles County, becoming the new prison’s second warden.
He remained in his post until 2002, when he became the department’s Regional Administrator for the Southern District. He retired from state service in 2003 but began teaching for the local school district.
“After his retirement, Ernest started teaching and did this for a few years until he finally really retired,” the Stockton Record obituary notice states.