Deputy Chief Rick Armendariz—who has served the Anaheim Police Department since 2019—will be sworn in on August 18 as the city’s new chief of police.
The Anaheim City Council approved the contract with Mr. Armendariz—an Anaheim resident—on July 18. He will be the 37th chief in the 153-year history of the police department, according to a city press release.
“Armendariz brings both continuity as the department’s deputy chief and is expected to continue advancing the department in community policing and in addressing key issues, including homelessness ... serious drug issues, burglaries and break-ins, traffic and other critical law enforcement and quality of life issues,” the July 18 press release said.
According to the contract, Mr. Armendariz will be paid just over $310,000 per year.
The city led a two-month recruitment process which included stakeholder involvement through a review panel.
Mr. Armendariz began his police career in 1995 as an officer with the Modesto Police Department, where he was promoted to detective, sergeant, lieutenant, captain, and finally assistant police chief.
Mr. Armendariz also has experience working as the interim deputy city manager for Modesto for two years. During his time there, he restarted community programs, created new cadet positions, launched a live crime center, applied new policing software, and developed crime intelligence meetings.
He moved to Anaheim in 2019 and has been employed with the Anaheim police force since as deputy chief.
He is also a graduate of the Senior Management Institution of Boston University and the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia.
He obtained a science degree in emergency services administration from California State University–Long Beach and a Bachelor of Arts in criminal justice from Chapman University.
Anaheim’s current chief, Jorge Cisneros, announced his retirement at the beginning of this year and will do so in August, after serving for five years.
As chief, Mr. Armendariz will be in charge of almost 600 employees, including 400 sworn officers, detectives, investigators, pilots, K-9 officers, SWAT personnel and staff, and mounted unit officers and horses.
