SLAIN INVESTIGATOR REMEMBERED FOR DEDICATION, COMPASSION

30-Year Veteran Among Those Killed at Sausage Factory

SACRAMENTO, June 22, 2000- The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) is mourning the loss of Senior Special Investigator Bill Shaline, who was among three investigators killed Wednesday afternoon at the Santos Linguisa factory in San Leandro.

Shaline, who was based at CDFA headquarters in Sacramento, served the department and California taxpayers for more than 30 years.

“Bill was one of our lesser-known heroes,” said CDFA Secretary William (Bill) J. Lyons Jr. “His compassion and commitment to a very important job were keys to his outstanding performance over the many years he worked to ensure a safe food supply for Californians. The CDFA family is shocked by this senseless violence. Our sympathies are with Bill’s family.”

Shaline specialized in meat and poultry, working on a large number of cases involving food safety. His job put him in regular contact with colleagues from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). CDFA and the USDA were working as a team in San Leandro when the attack occured. The other two shooting victims were USDA inspectors.

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