1980 black and-white film that was nominated for Best Picture, with “The”

investigations, served on the SWAT team and run the department’s training unit as he moved up the ranks.

He’s also taught part-time at the Napa Community College police academy since 2016, which exposed him to the joys of teaching others who are eager to learn.

“You’re their 007,” he said of the aspiring officers. “The opportunity to change someone’s life is very fulfilling.”

“Training officers has been Ilya’s passion for a long time, and his skill and dedication will really be missed,” Davis Police Chief Darren Pytel said. “After he does the training I always hear how much the participants enjoyed learning from him and how much they learned.”

“He leaves big shoes to fill, but the good news is he is going to stay active in training police officers even in his retirement from Davis PD,” Pytel added. “He has tremendous experience and a great understanding of people and policing. Imparting that knowledge to new officers is so critical in these times.” Family concerns

Bezuglov’s family still resides in Russia, having moved there after he left Uzbekistan. His father and sister, both dentists, opened their own clinic in St. Petersburg.

There, near the Finland border, they’ve remained largely removed from the conflict stemming from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, “but at the same time the economy is collapsing,” he said. With no legal method for assisting his family financially, “god forbid something happens and they need my help.”

Bezuglov last visited his relatives this past November, and he’s unsure of when — or if — he’ll be able to return.

“I don’t even know the reason they invaded Ukraine, and it doesn’t really matter,” he said. “If you enter another country and start killing people, I don’t care what the reason is. It’s a human tragedy.”

Reflecting on his law-enforcement career, Bezuglov said he enjoyed his detective role the most, and the problemsolving skills it required to bring cases to justice.

Those that stand out include the murders of Oliver Northup Jr. and Claudia Maupin by then-15-year-old Daniel Marsh; the drowning of Tatiana Garcia, 5, by her mother Aqueline Talamantes; and Darnell Dorsey’s fatal beating of his girlfriend’s 20-month-old son Cameron Morrison.

Tatiana’s case “was probably the hardest,” said Bezuglov, father to two daughters. “It was one of those cases where I couldn’t comprehend why.”

All three of those cases occurred within a year’s time in 2013-14, when Bezuglov was a new sergeant overseeing five young detectives. In retrospect, he wishes he would have required the investigators to undergo a mental-health assessment in response to the tragedies, something he believes law-enforcement agencies should provide to help officers — and their families — process the job’s daily stressors.

“I’d want to see it at least on an annual basis,” Bezuglov said. “I don’t know if you can mandate that, but I would.”

He hopes to incorporate a wellness program into the Los Rios Police Academy, where he’ll be in charge of recruitment, curriculum and trainings, having the benefit of more than two decades of personal experiences to guide him.

“That’s a dream job,” he said. — Reach Lauren Keene at lkeene@ davisenterprise.net. Follow her on Twitter at @laurenkeene. Rachel Kraeger/McNaughton Media Ilya Bezuglov hopes to incorporate a wellness program into the Los Rios Police Academy, where he’ll be in charge of recruitment, curriculum and trainings, having the benefit of more than two decades of personal experiences to guide him.