Rob Sharpnack Sworn-in To Lead CMPD

IT'S OFFICIAL!
Today, before a nearly packed auditorium, the City of Costa Mesa made it official and  Rob Sharpnack was sworn-in as Chief Of Police.

A ROOM FULL OF SUPPORT
Friends, relatives, co-workers, city staffers, past chiefs, current law enforcement leaders from all over the region and a few residents gathered in City Council Chambers at City Hall to watch City Clerk Brenda Green issue the oath of office to Sharpnack as his wife and children stood beside him.  And, there were plenty of real photographers on hand, so you won't have to be satisfied with the marginal images appearing here.

DIEBALL ON THE GAME
CMPD Sergeant Clint Dieball ran the show today and it went like clockwork.  We were promised a short program and that's how it turned out.

HONOR GUARD
An Honor Guard presented the colors and Dieball led the Pledge of Allegiance

PLENTY OF DIVINE GUIDANCE
We had invocations by two chaplains - Rick Johnson and Mike Decker.

COUNCIL PRESENCE
We had a short speech by Mayor Steve Mensinger.   Katrina Foley and Sandra Genis attended and Jim Righeimer showed up only a half hour late.  There was no sign of Gary Monahan.

HATCH HINTS AT THE FUTURE
CEO Tom Hatch expressed his pleasure with the choice of Sharpnack as his new chief and gave us encouraging words about Sharpnack's goals for the department.

HISTORY
Dieball gave us a brief history of Sharpnack's background, including his baseball-playing days and summarized his two decades with the CMPD and his steady advancement to his role as chief.

EMOTIONAL ACCEPTANCE
Sharpnack gave an emotional acceptance speech, which caused more than a few lumps in the throat around the auditorium and included expressions of gratitude to many of the folks gathered there today for their support and influence on his life and career.

THE LIST OF LEGENDS

Former chiefs in the audience included Roger Neth - the second police chief in the city and the man who oversaw the time of greatest growth and technological advancement; Dave Snowden - who set the bar high as he led the department for nearly seventeen years before retiring, then heading up the Beverly Hills PD until he recently retired from that job;  Tom Gazsi, who led the CMPD for more than three years after a three-decade career at the Newport Beach Police Department, who retired last year and moved to the position of Deputy Chief of the Los Angeles Port Police, where he is currently Acting Chief of that department; Steve Staveley, the legendary law enforcement leader who was interim chief of the CMPD - twice - in recent years and Ron Lowenberg, who was the most recent interim chief whose steady hand was on the tiller as he filled the gap between Gazsi and Sharpnack.  My head began to hurt as I tried to calculate the decades of law enforcement leadership represented by those men.  The City has been very lucky to have each of them contribute to the leadership of the CMPD.  Each of those exceptional law enforcement leaders have left an indelible imprint on the CMPD, and on the City.

WHO ARE THOSE GUYS?
Recent retirees and colleagues of Sharpnack returned to wish him well, most of who showed up in the trappings of retirement - several days growth of beard, t-shirts and flip-flops.  We all smiled about that.

TOUCHING MOMENT
One of the highlights for me was when, as part of the ceremony, Sharpnack's son, Colin, affixed the pin to his father's shirt.  A truly great moment.

THE SHARPNACK ERA BEGINS
So, the Sharpnack era in the Costa Mesa Police Department has officially begun.  Based on the plans mentioned by Hatch, there are good days ahead for the department.  We hope those days include a serious re-assessment of the staffing level of the department and the refinement of statistical reporting so the residents can have confidence in the numbers as presented.  We are sure, under Rob Sharpnack's steady hand, all those things will come together.  We wish Chief Sharpnack and the men and women of the CMPD all the best as this new era for the department begins.