Anaheim Convention Center hall as 414 kids graduated from
the police department’s Jr. Cadet program, the only-of-itskind program in California. The program builds relationships
with 9-12 year olds by teaching lessons in respect and
discipline and also – hopefully – inspires some to pursue
careers in policing. The police department hopes to recruit
more homegrown officers.
Quezada says he also sought input from members of the
community regarding the promotion of a lieutenant, which is
unusual for such a high-ranking position.
He also has taken steps to improve the way officer-involved
shootings are handled.
For example, an Anaheim PD lieutenant now issues a report on
any shooting incident within five days to get a quick snapshot
of what happened, instead of waiting for the district attorney to
complete an investigation, which can take several months. And
after any officer-involved shooting, a high-ranking police official
immediately reaches out to relatives of the suspect, Quezada says.
The city has also established a civilian public safety review board.
Set to meet for the first time this fall, the Public Safety Review
Board will review items such as fire and police budgets, staffing
levels, service delivery mechanisms, police and fire policies and
practices, and certain critical incidents.
Quezada says the recent officer-involved shooting in Ferguson,
Mo. underscores the importance of police departments establishing
close ties with members of the community before problems erupt.
After the civil unrest in 2012, the Anaheim PD made an effort to
meet with disgruntled members of the community in an effort to
prevent flare-ups around the anniversaries of the incidents.
Such outreach paid off, Quezada says, with organized protests in
2013 and 2014 going off smoothly.
“We let them have the street,” the chief says of the most recent
protest. “We met with the organizers, asked them the direction of
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their route, had a captain give them his cell phone number, and
told them we would have paramedics on standby in case there
were any heat-related or other health issues with the protesters.
“The key is to communicate. You have to communicate,” he says.
Efforts by Quezada and his command staff appear to be paying
off. Out of 200,000 calls for service received by the police
department last year, the PD received only 40 complaints from the
public – fewer than the number of complaints made from inside
the department.
“This shows we’re doing a good job at self-policing,” Quezada says.
They are also doing an innovative job in traditional policing.
Several Orange County police agencies recently created a regional
task force to deal with the growing problem of human trafficking.
The program was inspired by Anaheim, which was the first to
treat sex workers as victims.
The police department also recently formed a homeless outreach
detail that is becoming a model.
Married with three children, Quezada briefly sold insurance
before getting into law enforcement. His background in parks and
recreation helped fuel his philosophy of community policing.
A graduate of the Sherman Block Leadership Institute and P.O.S.T
Command College, Quezada currently is enrolled in the Master of
Science in Criminal Justice Administration program at Columbia
Southern University.
The police chief may be all about serving the local community, but
he’s still a die-hard Dodgers fan.
Among the baseball memorabilia in his office is a Dodgers jersey
with Quezada’s name in lettering on the back and a signed
portrait of former Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda.
“You and the Dodgers are great,” Lasorda wrote.
Quezada is quick to add about Anaheim’s home team: “So are the
Angels.” ■