David Valentin confirmed as the SAPD’s Police Chief

City of Santa Ana

Community: CITY OF SANTA ANA ANNOUNCES DAVID VALENTIN AS THE NEXT SANTA ANA POLICE CHIEF

Santa Ana, CA – Yesterday at the City Council Meeting, City Manager Raul Godinez II announced the City Council’s confirmation of David Valentin as City of Santa Ana’s 21st Police Chief. Valentin has more than 28 years of experience in law enforcement within the Santa Ana Police Department. David Valentin will be sworn in as Police Chief at the upcoming City Council Meeting on Tuesday, March 6th at 5:45 p.m. in the City Council Chambers at 22 Civic Center Plaza, Santa Ana, CA 92701. The public is invited to attend.

“Chief David Valentin is a consummate professional and outstanding leader. He grew up in the City of Santa Ana, which gives him first-hand knowledge of the needs of the community. David has risen through the ranks during his tenure with Santa Ana, starting from Patrol, to Investigator, Corporal, Sergeant, Lieutenant, Commander, Deputy Chief and Police Chief for the Santa Ana Unified School District,” said City Manager Raul Godinez II. “Valentin is well respected within the Santa Ana Police Department and the community at-large. I’m proud to work with such a talented police executive.”

During the tenure of David Valentin as Acting Police Chief, he focused on strategies to increase transparency and improve responsiveness to community needs, which contributed to building community trust; moreover, he implemented the police body-worn camera program, proactively addressed gun violence, and strengthened community based relationships.

As the Chief of Police for the Santa Ana Police Department, David Valentin will lead more than 600 sworn and civilian staff. Some of his priorities will include providing equitable police service to everyone in the community and to proactively address crime and quality of life concerns.

“Our community deserves a Police Chief that will enhance community safety and provide the best service to those in need. David Valentin is committed to making Santa Ana safer,” said Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido.

“I am confident Chief Valentin will be an exceptional Chief of Police and will heighten services and increase community trust,” said Councilmember Juan Villegas, Chair of the Public Safety, Code Enforcement and Neighborhood Empowerment Council Committee.

“I am humbled and honored to be provided the opportunity to serve the City of Santa Ana as the Chief of Police. I’m proud to work alongside some of the finest law enforcement officers and staff within the Santa Ana Police Department,” said Chief of Police David Valentin.

BACKGROUND

David Valentin joined the Santa Ana Police Department in 1990 and has worked all major areas of the Police Department, with over 16 years of substantive Command Level experience, including Senior Management Command in all Bureaus (Administrative, Field Operations and Investigations) of the Department. Chief Valentin also served as Commanding Officer of the Department’s Special Weapons & Tactics Team (SWAT).

For nearly five years, he served as the Chief of Police for the Santa Ana Unified School District (SAUSD) Police Department, the 3rd largest K-12 P.O.S.T. police agency in California, where he received local, regional and national recognition for his leadership and organizational transformation of the Department.

While serving as Chief of Police for SAUSD, Chief Valentin was also the recipient of the Orange County Human Relations Commission 2012 Community Oriented Policing Award. In 2013, Chief Valentin received the Award of Merit for Leadership by the California College and University Police Chiefs Association. In 2014, Chief Valentin led the effort as Program Administrator to initiate and implement the newly-formed Orange County Cold Case Homicide Task Force, a regional best practice to address over 1,000 unsolved murder cases in Orange County.

Chief Valentin earned a Master’s Degree in Public Administration, with an emphasis in Human Resources, from the California State University, Fullerton. In 2008, Chief Valentin was inducted into the Santa Ana College Alumni Hall of Fame for his outstanding contributions to the community. He is also a recipient of the California League of Community Colleges Hall of Fame for his significant achievements and sustained community engagement in both Santa Ana and the region.

An active member of the International Association Chiefs of Police (IACP) and the California Police Chiefs Associations, Chief Valentin has also served on the California Police Chiefs Association Legislative Committee and was selected to the IACP Victim & Civil Rights Committee in 2016.

Chief Valentin served eight years on the Board of Directors for the Santa Ana Boys and Girls Club, which is a club he once attended as a young boy growing up in Central Santa Ana. He currently serves on the Executive Board of Directors as Vice President for the Santa Ana College Foundation, which provides higher education scholarships.

Chief Valentin is a graduate of both the FBI National Academy and the California POST Command College. Chief Valentin has served as a trainer at the Orange County Sheriff’s Academy Advanced Officer Training Program and as a consultant at an international level, including Mexico and El Salvador with the focus areas of: Community Oriented Policing, cultural diversity, leadership and executive position recruitment/selection in the law enforcement and public education industries.

Contact: Robert Cortez, Deputy City Manager (714) 647-5200 rcortez@santa-ana.org

Art Pedroza Editor

Our Editor, Art Pedroza, worked at the O.C. Register and the OC Weekly and studied journalism at CSUF and UCI. He has lived in Santa Ana for over 30 years and has served on several city and county commissions. When he is not writing or editing Pedroza specializes in risk control and occupational safety. He also teaches part time at Cerritos College and CSUF. Pedroza has an MBA from Keller University.

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