After more than 22 years of service in the Oregon Police Bureau, Patrick Walsh has decided to move south. The seasoned captain will replace retiring Lompoc Police Chief Larry Ralston in September, city officials announced in a recent press release.
“Coming to Lompoc is kind of like a homecoming to me,” Walsh told the Sun, “because I’m from Camarillo.”
Walsh brings with him 30 years of law enforcement experience, including eight years with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Throughout his career, he’s worked in patrol, gang enforcement, narcotics, and professional standards units. He also served as an executive officer in his bureau and led its tactical operations division.
“It’s our version of SERT [Special Emergency Response Team], which does crisis negotiation, bomb threats, gang enforcement, and tactical planning,” Walsh said.
He said he appreciates the fact that the Lompoc Police Department’s officers are highly trained.
“A lot of departments will cut training in an economic downturn, but they have not,” Walsh said, adding that he’s looking forward to continuing to do good police work with his new department.
In an email, Lompoc City Manager Patrick Wiemiller said the background check on Walsh has been completed and “everything was good there.”
The city is awaiting the results of what Wiemiller called a routine psychological exam.
He added that because Walsh has been living outside of California, he has to reestablish his California Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) certification.
“The POST certification is required of all peace officers in California, and will allow him to wear the uniform and carry a gun,” Wiemiller said.
This article appears in Aug 7-14, 2014.