Smooth move
Deputy Chief Vicino receives standing ovation prior to onetime rival being sworn in as city’s top cop
By André Coleman 07/15/2010
Moments before Phil Sanchez officially began his new job as chief of the Pasadena Police Department Monday city officials took time out to honor his predecessor, former Interim Chief and sitting Deputy Chief Chris Vicino, with a standing ovation.
The applause came during Mayor Bill Bogaard’s opening remarks, when he thanked Vicino and his predecessor, former Police Chief Bernard Melekian, who was not in attendance, for their years of service to the city.
“The mayor was very gracious and kind with his words,” Vicino said the next day. “It was nice to be honored that way.”
Vicino, a 24-year veteran who was also in the running to become police chief, led the department as interim chief for six months after Melekian left Pasadena for a job with the Department of Justice in Washington, DC.
During that time, there was a 22 percent reduction in violent crime and the department began a greater use of technology, including weekly emails to Pasadena residents and systems alerting residents to crimes in their neighborhoods.
Vicino also started a series of community forums with the Western Justice Center in response to the Office of Independent Review’s report on the officer-involved shooting of Northwest Pasadena resident Leroy Barnes.
The forums were called after Vicino implemented recommendations in that report, which called on the department to change its interrogation techniques and make witnesses aware they are not under arrest when they are being interviewed. Vicino also established a system to better track the records of officers.
After Monday’s ceremony, Vicino officially returned to his role as deputy chief, and as such will help Sanchez carry out the day-to-day operations of the department.
Sanchez, a former deputy chief in Santa Monica, came out on top in the competition for the $212,000-a-year chief’s position after a months-long selection process that saw Vicino place in the top three candidates to replace Melekian.
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Kinda' like what the Stones lamented:
"You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you may find, you get what you need."
DanD