A Los Alamitos police officer was given a hero’s welcome back to the department, and the city, by the City Council and local citizens as he returned from an overseas deployment to resume his role in the city’s police department.
“First of all, thank you all for coming this evening,” said Los Alamitos Police Chief Michael Claborn.
“I want to take this opportunity for the Los Alamitos police department to very graciously recognize the sacrifices that people make for the freedoms that we all unfortunately take for granted here,” said Claborn.
“Being that we are a military town, with the Joint Forces training base building here in the city, we above all else should be acknowledging those sacrifices,” he added. “We don’t have to look very far to be able to do that.”
“None other than our own officer Christian Cruz, who is the only member of the Los Alamitos police department who is currently in the United States military, that being the United States Marine Corps,” said Claborn as the Council and the public gave him a round of applause.
In August of 2023, Claborn announced that Officer Cruz, a member of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, had been activated for a tour of duty that would take him overseas until May.
“Please join me as we wish Officer Christian Cruz Godspeed. He is being activated by the United States Marine Corps to serve his country. We could not be more proud and pray for your safe return,” said Claborn in an Instagram post.
That day has now come as Cruz has rejoined the department and was with Claborn and other officers at last week’s Los Al City Council meeting.
“So for those of you who don’t know, prior to him being deployed in the United States Marine Corps, he took an exam to test to become the very next motor officer for the Los Alamitos Police Department,” said Claborn.
Courtesy photo
He said Cruz was about to begin his training when he was activated by the military “And so he was not able to partake in that training, but I don’t think that we could have given him any better nugget to look forward to when he returned, then to be able to have that brand new motorcycle that’s parked right outside,” the police chief said.
Now, he said, Cruz will begin his motor training “and we can’t wait for his training to be complete, and he can be out there representing his department, Claborn said.
Officer Cruz thanked the Chief, the Council, the public and his department.
“I just want to say thank you honestly, it’s been really great being back,” said Cruz. “I have such great leadership here at my department that I’m very fortunate from all the way from Chief down to my sergeants and corporals in my department,” he added, “who really showed me a lot of support and a lot of love.”
Sgt. Cruz said after the meeting that he was deployed to Okinawa, Japan for specialized military training.
“They welcomed me back with open arms,” said Cruz. Getting back to work in the Los Al Police Department “was very actually easy for me, like second nature. I honestly missed it.
“I thought about it every day just waiting to come back and hit the streets again,” he added.
“And now, this next chapter me going into motors, I’m going to bring something back to the city and it’s just going to get only better and better from there. He said his achievements were for everybody within the department “because I am a product of each and every one of them.”
“So when I get back from motors I’m going to really hit it hard and make the streets safer here in Los Al to keep doing good work,” said Cruz.
Claborn also presented Cruz with an Award from Mothers Against Drunk Driving for making the most drunk driving arrests (30) for the past year.
Claborn said Officer Cru was able to obtain 30 arrests but That is not what makes it so amazing. So he was able to achieve that task by having only work from the month of January to July before he was deployed,” said Claborn.
“He didn’t even work a full year,” he added.
Cruz was also recognized by Mayor Jordan Nefulda and the Los Al City Council, Assemblymember Tri Ta’s office and the office of Sen. Janet Nguyen.