At its Jan. 19 meeting, the Los Alamitos City Council voted 5-0 to approve the appointment of Eric R. Nuñez to replace retired Police Chief Todd Mattern.
Chief Nuñez has served with the La Palma Police Department since 1991 and has been their chief for the past five years. Nuñez took over the top position of the Los Alamitos Police Department on Monday, Jan. 25.
Nuñez, 53, has a Master’s degree in Leadership from the University of Southern California and a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Administration from the University of La Verne.
He is an adjunct staff instructor at the Golden West Criminal Justice Training Center, teaching police recruits topics like cultural diversity, racial profiling, and ethics.
Last year, he authored an article for the Journal of California Law Enforcement entitled, “Recruiting for Emotional-Social Intelligence: Enhancing Leadership, Performance, Community Trust, and Saving Lives”.
The new chief was selected among several applicants following an extensive recruitment process that was initiated last fall and included multiple interviews, one of which was with a panel of local community leaders.
Nuñez and his wife, Molly, have four children, ages 8 – 25, and next month they are expecting their first grandchild. Of his selection, he said, “My family and I are so very excited to become part of this incredible community and for me to take the reins of this extremely well managed police department utilizing my leadership background and police futuring interests to provide a solid platform for Los Alamitos PD to take policing and community service to the next level,” said Nuñez.
“I look forward to working with our business community, non-profits, Los Alamitos Unified School District, elected officials, and of course our residents to continue to make Los Alamitos a safe and vibrant place to live, work, educate, and most importantly, enjoy with our families.”
A ceremony to welcome the new chief, with Mayor Richard Murphy administering the Oath of Allegiance, was held on Tuesday, Jan. 26 at the Los Alamitos Community Center.
Outgoing Chief Todd Mattern, who has been with the City of Los Alamitos since 1986, retired last October but has remained with the Police Department as the interim chief during the recruitment for the new chief. His official last day was Jan. 24.
