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Interim Police Chief Announced

Pasadena City Manager Michael J. Beck has announced the appointment of Christopher O. Vicino as interim police chief effective Nov. 9

Published on Thursday, October 15, 2009 | 5:47 pm
 

Christopher Vicino, deputy chief at Pasadena Police Department, will take over for Bernard Melekian, who will begin his new duties as director of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) for the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington , D.C.

A 24-year veteran of law enforcement, Vicino, 47, has spent his entire career with the Pasadena Police Department, working his way up the ranks in a variety of assignments.  He was hired as a police officer in 1985 and has been promoted six times.  He was appointed deputy chief by Melekian in 2006.

He served as acting police chief from January to October 2008 when Melekian was interim city manager and over the past six months whenever Melekian has traveled to Sacramento to work with the governor and state legislature in his capacity as president of the California Police Chiefs Association.

“I am confident in Deputy Chief Vicino’s ability to provide leadership continuity to the department and the community,” said Beck.  “I have asked him to remain in this capacity until a nationwide search for a new police chief has been completed.”

When Vicino was acting police chief in 2008, violent crime was reduced by nearly 22 percent.  He also collaborated during that period with Pasadena Unified School District and Pasadena City College to create a police department internship program for local students.

He has 10 years of command experience and has worked in every division of the police department.  As an investigator in the 1980s he worked on several high-profile homicide cases, gaining a reputation as a dedicated and tenacious detective and earning a number of departmental commendations for his work.  As a sergeant he was a member of the Neighborhood Crime Task Force, a team that was successfully reduced street crime and narcotic sales throughout the community. 

 He was one of the primary architects of Pasadena ’s Service Area Policing model that promotes the ideals of community policing and outreach; helped design a regional air support team that consists of 12 member cities in the San Gabriel Valley ; was the first to oversee the department’s hostage negotiating team; and developed the critical incident response team. 

Born in Los Angeles and raised in the San Gabriel Valley , Vicino earned his bachelor’s degree in economics and political science from Claremont Men’s College.  He was one of the first police executives in the nation selected by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to study at the Naval Postgraduate School ’s Center for Homeland Defense and Security, where he earned his master’s degree. 

 Since 1999 Vicino has been an adjunct professor at Pasadena City College where he is well known to students for his mentorship and professional guidance.  He is a member of the California Police Chiefs Association, Police Executive Research Forum and International Association of Chiefs of Police.  He represents the City of Pasadena on the governance board of the Interagency Communications Interoperability System (ICIS), a regional police radio communications project.  From 1999 to 2006 he served on the executive board of Pasadena-based Villa Esperanza Services, a non-profit organization for developmentally disabled persons. 

 He and his wife Carla have two children, Danielle and Dominic.

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