The City of Clearlake has welcomed Larry Todd as Interim Chief of the Clearlake Police Department (CPD). Todd”s services were obtained through the League of California Cities, which limits his employment availability to six months, annually.
Todd expects to remain with the CPD until June and will assist the city with recruitment of a new police chief. He also plans to reorganize the Clearlake Community Patrol program while he is here.
Recruitment of a new police chief is currently a priority for the city. Todd said the city will seek a qualified candidate who is interested in long-term employment. An ideal candidate would be, “someone who would be excited to come to Clearlake; someone who wants to be here for awhile,” Todd said.
The city will seek a person with experience in police administration who has dealt with a similar type of community, with regard to crime issues and demographics. “We want someone who has experience in dealing with the types of crimes and activities that we see in this community,” Todd said, adding, “Someone with cutting-edge ideas about how to deal with some of the issues that we deal with around here.”
Todd attributes substance and alcohol abuse as contributors to Clearlake”s high crime and domestic violence rates. Gang issues, he said, are currently not a real big problem but could be in the future. “Gang issues are not real high but they”re growing,” Todd said. “We need to be proactive in dealing with them.” Working cooperatively with the local school district and other social service agencies, Todd suggests, would be a proactive approach.
The Clearlake City Council has contracted with Avery & Associates ? a head hunting firm ? to assist in the recruitment process. It is hopeful that the city will welcome a new, permanent police chief by June.
Another area of focus for Todd prior to his departure, is the Clearlake Community Control program. Todd plans to move the patrol”s headquarters to the police department. He would like to provide patrol volunteers with more training and expand the services the program provides. “I would like to make the program broader than just patrolling the community,” he said.
Todd has more than 36 years of law enforcement experience with five California police departments. He is a past president of the California Police Chiefs Association. He served as a member of the Board of Directors for the League of California Cities for five years and also served as vice chair on the league”s Public Safety Committee.
Todd is a decorated member of public safety, having been honored with the California Police Chiefs Association”s “Joe Molloy Memorial Award” in 1999. The award is presented in recognition of the recipient”s outstanding leadership, professionalism and commitment to the mission of the California Police Chiefs Association. It is the association”s most prestigious award and is presented annually to only one of more than 350 municipal police chiefs serving in the state. Todd is also a recipient of the law enforcement “Medal of Valor” for actions above and beyond the call of duty while serving in West Covina.
Todd has a Master”s of Arts degree in Criminal Justice from Claremont Graduate University and Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from California State University, Los Angeles.
Contact Denise Rockenstein at drockenstein@clearlakeobserver.com.
