Dream Fulfilled: Susana Porras and Her New Role at the PPD

District 3 Liaison Susana Porras has always dreamed of working in law enforcement, since she was young. 

An author and poet, Porras, after graduating college, considered applying for jobs in law enforcement but as her lifed evolved she became a teacher at the Pasadena Unified School District.

“I looked into applying to the California Highway Patrol and the Los Angeles Police Department. At that time, perhaps maybe I wasn’t ready for something like that,” said Porras.

“I took a totally different career move. I started teaching and so I’ve been teaching ever since —but I always had law enforcement in the back of my head.”

As she got older, Porras thought that her dream would never come true. But life has other plans. 

Porras will be the new Program Coordinator I for the Special Operations Division of the Pasadena Police Department beginning April 10.

“I’m very excited to finally be able to pursue it,” she exclaimed.

As program coordinator,  she will be planning and coordinating  community and police youth programs and events.

Porras believes her experience as District 3 liaison will greatly help her in her new position.

“I’ve coordinated a number of very large events for District 3. I bring those skills with me over to the police department.”

“I’ve worked very closely with the Neighborhood Watch program. I come with a big knowledge on how the Pasadena Police Department works. I bring that with me as well.”

One of the things she will focus on as new program coordinator is police community relations.

“I really hope to be able to contribute as much as I possibly can to that department. One of the things that I am focused on is, whether it’s part of my job or not, I would like to assist with  police community relations. I think that that’s very important.”

Porras is a creative person.

Aside from being a writer, Porras, who is fluent in both French and Spanish, is also a travel enthusiast, and a community organizer. 

In 2010, she was named one of The Magazine’s 50 Women of Influence for her dedication to effecting innovative ways of rebuilding neighborhoods in Pasadena.

Among the books Porras wrote is “To Compostela and Beyond! A Poet’s Chronicle of the Camino de Santiago.” 

Her new boss at Pasadena Police Department, Commander Bill Grisafe, said that he and Department look forward to Porras’s arrival and to working with her.