After a successful year of publishing in Tulare County, we are thrilled to finally introduce Valley Response Magazine to the Fresno audience. Our staff here has devoted the past year to working out the kinks and finding our legs, here on our home turf, but the time has come to make the long-awaited transition into a new market—a place filled with the same civic-minded, hometown-spirited, and family-oriented residents who will recognize the value and purpose of this publication. Our goal is to provide our readers with content that is both positive and educational, and that brings forth a sense of pride for the community.

Earlier this year, our Tulare County edition took home three Gold ADDY awards, presented by the Fresno Advertising Federation, in celebration and recognition of the photography and design elements found within our magazine. I believe that these elements and our unique content, help make our publication truly noteworthy and it is our mission to provide the same level of quality to our Fresno readers from here on out.

In our premiere issue, I wanted to give you articles that convey the true flavor of our publication—compelling stories of the job our subjects do, the advances at the agencies that make our lives more secure, and the surprising lives of those who are dedicated to public safety in the Fresno area.

For the Briefing, we met with members of Fresno Police Department’s Video Policing Unit to find out how FPD is taking preventative measures to help curtail much of the crime on the streets and to stop unlawful acts before they become a more serious offense.

In our Off Duty profile, writer Carole Firstman got together with Fresno’s Deputy Sheriff, Chris Curtice to tell the story of his life as a Public Information Officer for the Sheriff’s Department by day and a passion for taking the stage with his band by night. The tale of Chris Curtice and the Wild Horses is one you definitely don’t want to miss.

Our biggest feature this issue, A Growing Problem, details the multi-agency attack on pot farms sprouting up in the local Sierras. Writer Gary C. Kuncl and photographer David Swann went on a covert mission with the Fresno County Sheriff’s Department to reveal the destruction and danger these illegal drug growers are causing to our beautiful mountain landscapes. It is a behind-the-scenes look into the world of drug growers that you’ve never before seen.

It is my pleasure to bring you this first issue of Valley Response Magazine, Fresno Edition and I look forward to many more issues to come. I hope that you will provide feedback and share your story ideas, as Valley Response Magazine has been specifically designed to tailor itself to the interests of those for whom the magazine is published—you.