The Los Alamitos Chamber of Commerce welcomed an overflow crowd Friday as they installed new officers and heard from the city’s new police chief as the local business community generally expressed gratitude about being able to meet in person for first time since the pandemic began.
“We’re happy to have you here,” said Los Al Chamber Chairwoman Nesi Stewart, welcoming the unusually large crowd to the Chamber’s first traditional, in-person meeting since March of 2020 at Maderas Steakhouse on Katella Ave.
Before the city’s new police chief was introduced, Los Al Mayor Pro-tem Tanya Doby installed the Chamber’s new slate of officers and board for the current year.
Stewart introduced Los Alamitos Chief of Police Michael Claborn, saying she was honored to have been on the selection committee.
Claborn is an Army veteran, he’s earned a B.A. and master’s degrees from Cal State, Long Beach, and has approximately 30 years in law enforcement. He began his career at LAPD and had risen to the rank of Sergeant at Santa Ana Police Department before being selected to replace Eric Nunez as Los Al Police Chief.
Mayor Pro-Tem Tanya Doby (who performed the swearing in ceremony), Kristin Di Miceli- Garage Pilates, Nesi Stewart- Printmasters/Chairman of the Board, Monica Salmon- Farmers Insurance, Dan Schwartz- Pacific Premier Bank, Judy Klabouch- Green Street Interiors
Dr. Andrew Pulver- LAUSD Superintendent, Al Stone- Farmers Merchants Bank.
Photo by Loreen Berlin
“I’m the new guy,” said Claborn, as he began what became a very open discussion about his life, his qualifications, his family and even his law enforcement philosophy.
“It’s very humbling,” he continued, to “finally be able to hear the word Chief before your name,” said the new chief, as he began his first official address to the business community he will serve.
In addition, Claborn told the group while he has some ideas, not to expect any immediate reorganization. First, said Claborn, he looks forward to obtaining a better understanding of the department and filling many of the open slots within his department.
“If you ever get somebody who’s new in an organization, who steps in and say yep, I have my vision. It’s all set. This is what’s going to happen day one, you’d better run,” Claborn told the Chamber.
“That person has no idea what is going on in the building and what the culture is, what the community needs, what the department needs, what the city government needs or expects,” he added.
“So, I am still learning about the culture within the building,” he said frankly, “but I will definitely be bringing all of that research that I have done to try to implement something here in the city to try to help the organization be able to move forward.”
Claborn said his department will be open, transparent and utilize best practices that he’s learned from his extensive leadership training and from the valuable lessons he learned serving within the Internal Affairs department of Santa Ana Police Department.
Claborn, who served in a variety of positions during his career, said his promotion to Internal Affairs was a real eye-opener.
In law enforcement, he said, when fellow officers know you work in Internal Affairs, “as soon as you walk into a room, the conversation stops. You stop getting invited to some events. Let me assure you that yes, that was the most challenging assignment I’ve ever had in my career.”
However, he said, it was incredibly valuable experience, as it “enables a person to understand the necessity of it as it relates to the level of service expected to be provided to the community.”
Claborn said he attended the Leadership Development Program at Golden West College and is also a graduate of the Sherman Block Supervisory Leadership Institute, which he said is the gold standard of training for police officers throughout the state.
“I will definitely be bringing all of the research that I have done to try to implement something here in the city [Los Al] to try to help the department move forward,” said Claborn. “I will utilize best practices as it relates to supporting the community,” said Claborn.
“I will absolutely be out in the community attempting to collaborate with each and every one of you as I try to make your police department what you expect it to be,” Claborn said.
According to Claborn, an effective police chief must open his heart, eyes and ears to the communities they serve. “You have to ask the hard questions as you’re attempting to establish what is the expectation from the organization from the line level officers when they’re out in the community.”
“Why does it matter,” said Claborn, “well I grew up in Huntington Park, so I understand what it is like to be different. I looked different than everybody else when I went to school,” he said, “so I understand what that feeling what that feels like.”
Accordingly, Claborn said he plans to foster a sense of inclusion and understanding at the department.
On a personal level, Claborn said he is a rabid football fan, especially when he is coaching or watching his son’s team playing ball. “Yes, I am that parent,” he said.
Ironically, Claborn said even though he was working in Santa Ana before his appointment as police chief, his family moved here four years ago. “My wife did all the research, and we came here for the schools,” he said.
Claborn said he is proud to become police chief because this community has taught his family a new meaning of home.
“We lived in Lakewood, knew all of our neighbors and we thought we were part of the community. But little did we know that we were not. We were just good neighbors. It wasn’t until we ended up moving here that we really realized what it meant to become part of the fabric of a community,” he told the Chamber.
Accordingly, Claborn suggested he wants the police department to be a part of the overall community fabric going forward. The police chief said is reaching out to residents, the business community, and the school system as he plans to establish a very collaborative department.
He said he would be a visible police chief, having coffee around town, meeting with businesses and scheduling opportunities for the public to have “coffee with a cop.”
Moreover, Claborn said he plans to meet with LAUSD Superintendent Dr. Andrew Pulver and his team to discuss security at the district’s schools within the city and collaborate to provide school additional resource officers.
“I understand what grant funding can do for a city from a law enforcement perspective and I will attempt to utilize and leverage those resources on the management side to raise some grant funding,” he added.
The new Los Al police chief said his experiences have taught him the value of education and that his department will work also on innovative approaches to get trouble-making kids on a different path.
He cited his pandemic experiences overseeing the Emergency Operations Center where he worked very closely with county officials on programs for youth.
“The programs made me realize how much I enjoy working with youth,” said Claborn, adding that “if you start at a young age, every dollar you invest to get them on the right track is less you’re going to spend at a later age when they are making bad decisions.”
In preparing himself for the position, Claborn said “I must have talked with ten or twelve former chiefs in doing research for this position.” This gives him a solid perspective on which to build on the accomplishments of past chiefs of police, he said.
“Being able to use a different lens to be able to look at problems,” is critically important, said Claborn, noting that his decisions “will not only affect the police department, but everyone in the city.”
Nevertheless, he said “I have strong collaborative skills and I’m all about making things happen.”
