By Lookout Staff

July 13, 2010 -- Phil Sanchez, who worked his way up the ranks to become deputy chief of the Santa Monica Police Department, was sworn in Monday as Pasadena's new police chief.

A co-founder of Santa Monica’s Chronic Homeless Project who also helped develop the Serial Inebriate Outreach Program, Sanchez vowed to put Pasadena's police department on the national map and improve community relations.

The Pasadena Police Department, which is slightly larger than Santa Monica's, has a $61 million budget, 262 sworn officers and 144 civilian employees.

Sanchez is the second Santa Monica officer to take over as Pasadena police chief, following in the footsteps of former Capt. Barney Melekian, who left the post last year to become director of the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) under U.S. Attorney General Eric Hol.

Sanchez's swearing in caps a six-month search process some community members said was cloaked in secrecy. Pasadena Mayor Bill Bogaard on Monday praised the effort, according to a report in the Pasadena Star-News.

"I have never seen a more diligent and dedicated effort to find the right person for the job," Bogaard said. Sanchez is "supremely well-qualified for the challenging task of leading the Pasadena Police Department."

Sanchez received the SMPD’s Medal of Courage twice for heroic actions during tactical operations and was the recipient of the department’s Medal of Merit for development of a Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) program.

For the past 10 years, he has taught at the Orange County Sheriff’s Academy as an adjunct instructor and frequently lectures at local schools, colleges and universities on a variety of topics. He recently was selected to serve on an advisory commission exploring the development of a course in homeland security for Santa Monica College.

"I have never seen a more diligent and dedicated effort to find the right person for the job," Sanchez is "supremely well-qualified for the challenging task of leading the Pasadena Police Department."
     Bill Bogaard