by Laura Garber
Every time Landon Phillips said “I,” “me,” or “mine,” during his address prior to his Chief of Police Badge Pinning ceremony his words were met with a fusillade of bullets — foam bullets from Nerf guns he had handed out to fellow officers sitting in the front rows of the Hermosa Beach Community Theater.
Phillips’ speech stressed leadership. It’s not about one person, but about the position. When a strong leader steps away, the organization is still strong, he said.
“I want to focus on active leadership, everyday, because I want our folks to know they are leaders,” Phillips said during an interview following the Badge Pinning ceremony, held Thursday, July 24, before an audience of officers, family members and residents, who filled the 500 seat theater.
Phillips had orchestrated the Nerf gun attacks to interject an element of hilarity in the otherwise solemn occasion.
He was the first Hermosa chief in 24 years to be hired from within the department.
Chief Phillips was “pinned” by his father, Bruce, a retired, 25 year HBPD veteran.
The two were the first father and son duo to serve simultaneously in the department’s 94 year history.
Chief Phillips joined the Hermosa Beach Police Department in 2002 as a traffic patrol officer, and worked his way up through the ranks, from officer, to sergeant, lieutenant and captain. He was appointed chief in May, following the retirement of Chief Paul LeBaron, who had led the department for five years.
During a speech welcoming his successor, the former chief illustrated Phillips’ strong ethical compass by recounting an incident during which he had suggested a “different” hiring process, which would have excluded some candidates. Phillips, then a lieutenant, challenged LeBaron, saying, “I know you’ve said we’d always do the right thing. So I’m having trouble understanding how we can continue with this process.”
LeBaron said Phillips’ “bravery and ethics” were evident in his role as lieutenant and would continue to define his leadership as Chief.
Growing up, Chief Phillips was immersed in the world of law enforcement. But despite childhood prompts from his father’s community, he initially had no desire to become a police officer. He expressed a weariness with the profession from his teenage years, noting the cynicism and suspicions of people that come with the job.
His outlook changed in his early 20s, “I wanted a career I was excited to go do everyday,” Chief Phillips said. “I just thought, I don’t want to be behind a desk my entire life. And now I am,” he laughed.
Now that he’s chief, he will be behind a desk much of his time. But he’s finding excitement in that, as well.
“If I can do some administrative work and get safety gear for my officers; one, it might protect them, but secondarily, it shows them we care,” he said. “It might be something that an officer throws in a gearbox and never uses. Fantastic. I hope they never have to use it.”
Chief Phillips has an extensive background in martial arts, including a second degree brown belt from Nono Lebosnoyani’s Hapkido dojo in Hermosa Beach, a stint with mixed martial arts in Torrance and amateur boxing fights at the Police and Fire Olympics. “I wanted martial arts to teach me to know when I’m in danger as a police officer,” he said.
In 2021, then Chief LeBaron mandated that officers participate in a PGCT (Police Grappling Control Techniques) program taught by Sergeant Jon Sibbald. Sibbald, who has since retired, described PGCT as “blending the punch blocks of Hapkido, and Krav Maga, and transitioning (on the ground) to grappling and jiu jitsu.”
Under Chief Phillips’ leadership, first-year officers are required to complete four hours of defensive tactics training every month. This significantly exceeds the State’s POST (Peace Officer Standards and Training) requirement of two defensive tactics hours per year.
He views martial arts training to be as important as the department’s quarterly firearm proficiency training.
“You have to train, it’s that muscle memory, it’s that familiarity when you’re in a situation where you are required to apply force in the field, your anxiety level comes way down,” he said.
Department statistics underscore the value of the martial arts training.
In 2020, and 2021 HBPD reported 35 officer injuries during use-of-force incidents. The related workman’s compensation payments totaled over $300,000.
In 2022, PGCT’s first full year, there were no officer injuries during use-of-force incidents, and no use-of-force related workers comp claims.
During that first year, 44 use-of-force arrests were made, involving 94 officer responses. The training also resulted in arrests being safer for suspects.
None of the officers used pepper spray, Tasers, batons, punches or kicks, during that year’s use-of-force arrests.
The PGCT program has six instructors, including Officer Michelle Galat, who is HBPD’s first female defensive tactics instructor.
Chief Phillips is eager to roll out a dedicated Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) team and expand the drone program to include training not just police officers, but also Community Service Officers, who are responsible for parking enforcement and animal control.
“Not a lot of police departments are okay with that,” Chief Phillips said, because they believe only police officers are qualified. “I call crap on that. What does that say to our CSO? It says, “You’re not good enough. We don’t value you. You’re not a part of the team. We don’t buy that.”
New ideas, which have historically been expressed by management and higher-ups, are now entrusted to all professional staff and rank. “If it’s something that historically has been done in a box, we will shatter that box,” Chief Phillips said.
These implementations are part of a cultural shift that began with Chief LeBaron to include more trust and leadership within the department. “We’re working on making sure everyone starts preparing now, not just for their next position, but I call it the “next, next.” Get ready for that position now. Start preparing today,” Chief Phillips said. “Our police officers, including those in non-supervisory positions, are going to leadership training.”
The department also prioritizes mental health alongside its successful leadership training. The Chief said his perspective was shaped by Captain Dorothy Scheid, with whom he advanced through the ranks. “We had very different styles, but we complimented each other,” he said.
While the two were sergeants, an officer experiencing professional and personal problems asked for a leave of absence. Influenced perhaps by his father’s police career, Chief Phillips opposed the request, viewing it as a sign of weakness. Sgt. Scheid disagreed.
“Denying his leave of absence would have been the wrong thing to do, and I’m so glad she was there to show we take care of our folks,” Chief Phillips said. “I can say with relative confidence, we had saved an officer’s life and that officer is still with us and maybe they wouldn’t have been.”
While Phillips acknowledges his father’s skill in ide ntifying and solving crime trends, his respect among peers and his reputation as a top patrol investigator, their views on the current state of HBPD diverge.
Today’s policing methods represent a significant change from Chief Phillips’ father’s time. Officer Bruce Phillip’s era was characterized by an “old school, tough guys and gals club” mentality, for which Chief Phillips said he feels great respect. But he sees greater benefits in the wellness mindset.
“We’ve sent our officers to mental health retreats. I don’t care what anyone says…. ‘It’s fluff, it’s foo foo.’ It’s meditation. It works, it absolutely works,” he said.
Recognizing a national epidemic of police suicides, where law enforcement faces a 54% higher suicide risk than the general population, according to Dr. John Violanti, a research professor at the University at Buffalo, Chief Phillips said he makes a point during weekly command staff meetings to discuss employees who are excelling and those who might be facing challenges. “That doesn’t sound glorious, but it is important.”
Chief Phillips credits his predecessor, Chief LeBaron, for changing the department’s silo mentality to one of trust.
He recalled LeBaron encouraging high-ranking staff on vacation to disconnect from phones and rely on their team. “If we don’t trust them to actually run it when I’m not here, when a captain or lieutenant isn’t there,” Chief Phillips stated, “then shame on us, because we’ve communicated distrust and we’ve never let them do the job.”
Chief Phillips believes the department’s culture will help to ensure the next Chief is hired from within HBPD. In the meantime, the Chief’s hopes for the department, one of the smallest in LA County, to “be bigger than our numbers, bigger than what you would think the resources of a small department can be.”
In March 2024 HBPD received a $1 million Federal grant through Congressional Representative Ted Lieu to develop a Real Time Crime Center. The department has already installed new computers and automated license plate readers (ALPRs) for patrol cars, and is now awaiting approval from the Federal COPS (Community Oriented Policing Services) for more street cameras to be installed across the City. Chief Phillips expects to be in “full buildout mode” by early to mid 2026.
Chief Phillips responded to privacy concerns by noting that license plate reader data is deleted after three months and that there is no random monitoring. Monitoring has to be connected to criminal investigations.
During the June 10 City Council meeting, Chief Phillips assured the Council policies are in place to manage personal data that is collected. “Any Officer would need to require a ‘need-to-know’ and a ‘right-to-know,’ and if they don’t, there are consequences,” Chief Phillips told Council, “Quite frankly, that’s a misdemeanor.”
The popularity of e-bikes has presented a challenge his father’s police department didn’t have to face. “We’re trying to find creative ways to address it,” Chief Phillips said. “It’s not something we’re going to just enforce our way out of by writing tickets.”
He said there have been no reported injuries with e-bikes on The Strand, and as a result, enforcement resources are focused on areas in town where accidents do occur.
He attributed improvements in e-bike behavior to an urgency ordinance passed by the City Council last year. This ordinance allows officers to impound e-bikes belonging to juveniles who are stopped for traffic violations.
“The problems aren’t just kids. Adults are just as big offenders as the juveniles,” Chief Phillips said. “I’ve seen dozens, if not hundreds, of kids on e-bikes who wear helmets, who stop at stop signs, who are courteous and wave cars through. There are a lot of great kids, we’re villainizing kids inappropriately.”
Phillips’ goal, he said, is for HBPD to be a leader in LA law enforcement, and not merely a “little brother or sister” among the South Bay precincts. He envisions a reputation for being “smart, professional, efficient, and having a bit of fun too.” ER
