Hermosa Beach likely has a new chief of police. City Manager Tom Bakaly announced Wednesday that he has selected Sharon Papa, currently an assistant commanding officer with the Los Angeles Police Department. Her appointment is pending a final background check expected to take three to four weeks.
Papa was chosen from 47 applicants for a position that has been vacant since former chief Greg Savelli’s resignation in January, 2012. After an extensive interview process, Papa and Cecil Rhambo, an assistant sheriff of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, were chosen as the final two candidates.
Somewhat controversially, Mayor Kit Bobko last Friday publicly threw his support behind Rhambo. The names of the two final candidates were not widely known until that time. A pool of six candidates were interviewed by a panel of community members, including a school district representative, Bakaly, another police chief from the South Bay, and interim HBPD Chief Michael McCrary. The finalists were then forwarded to the city manager based on the panel’s assessment of how each candidate would fit into the community.
A statement released by the city manager’s office indicated Bakaly “determined that Ms. Papa would be the best person for the job for the city and will now enter the extensive background check process. ” The background check process will be conducted by an outside, specialized investigator. Bakaly’s stated goal is to have a permanent police chief in place by October 1.
Since 2010, Papa has served as assistant commander of operations in LAPD’s Valley Bureau, where she oversaw 2,500 sworn and civilian personnel and was specifically tasked with developing a strategy to combat significant property crimes. She also spearheaded Operation Ceasefire, which targeted the top five violent gangs in the Mission area of LA. Prior to the arrival of LAPD Chief Charlie Beck, Papa had risen to the position of assistant chief, with duties that included oversight of the department’s $1.2 billion budget, recruitment and hiring, and facilities management. She was promoted to that position in 2002 by former LAPD Chief William Bratton, who resigned in August 2009.
Papa previously worked with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority for 17 years. She served as MTA’s chief of police from 1990 to 1997, at which point MTA merged with LAPD.
