The finalist to be the next chief of police of Anaheim is Rick Armendariz, the current deputy chief who has been with the city for almost four years.
The City Council on Tuesday, July 18, will consider Armendariz’s appointment to become the department’s 37th chief. He would be replacing the outgoing chief Jorge Cisneros, who will retire in August.
If approved, Armendariz would take over on Aug. 18. The city hired a firm to help conduct the search, and it held community meetings and several rounds of interviews. City Manager Jim Vanderpool made his decision after the three finalists interviewed him, officials said.
Armendariz was first sworn in as a police officer 28 years ago in Modesto. He spent 24 years with the Modesto Police Department, ultimately becoming the assistant chief there after having several different roles. He graduated from Chapman University with a bachelor’s in criminal justice and has a master’s degree from Cal State Long Beach.
Armendariz is set to get a considerable pay bump over his predecessor and would make $310,648 a year, according to the contract the council is considering.
At the last council meeting on July 11, councilmembers unanimously approved raising the maximum salary for the Anaheim police chief by $28,855 to $317,407. Councilmember Natalie Rubalcava had suggested for the police chief to have a higher salary since Anaheim is the most populous city in Orange County.
He would also get severance pay if fired or asked to resign, except under certain conditions, such as being convicted of a crime or any act of dishonesty.
Anaheim’s Police Department has more than 400 sworn officers and is the largest city police department in Orange County. The council on Tuesday will also consider renewing its hiring bonuses for police officers, as the city expects an uptick in retirements to occur throughout the next year.
The city will pay $15,000 for police officers coming from other departments and $10,000 to newly trained officers. There are also bonuses for military veterans and referrals. The estimated cost of the hiring program is $750,000.
Source: Orange County Register
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