Santa Ana dedicates the Paul M. Walters Police Administration Building

Santa Ana Dedicates Paul M. Walters Police Administration Building

By: OC Supervisor Todd Spitzer

Yesterday, Supervisor Todd Spitzer joined former Santa Ana Police Chief Paul Walters and the Walters family at the City of Santa Ana’s dedication of the Paul M. Walters Police Administration Building.

“Paul Walters is one of the longest-serving police chiefs of a major city in modern American history,” Supervisor Spitzer said. “I congratulate Chief Walters on this well-deserved honor.”

Walters served as Santa Ana’s Chief of Police from 1988 to 2013 and was also concurrently City Manager from 2011 to 2013. During his tenure as Chief, Santa Ana grew from 293,000 people to 335,000 people, yet the crime rate fell to its lowest level in nearly 40 years despite budget cuts decreasing the number of police officers from 359 down to 320.

A veteran of the United States Air Force, Walters earned his Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Science from California State University, Fullerton, Master of Public Administration from the University of Southern California, and Juris Doctor from the American College of Law. His son Gary is a Captain with the Los Angeles Police Department, son Michael is a Deputy with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, and daughter Dani is a junior high school teacher in Hawaii.