Two Pasadena Police Civilians Complete Statewide Leadership Program

A Pasadena Police Department forensic specialist who processes crime scenes and a supervisor who oversees the city jail have added a new credential to their resumes: graduates of a statewide leadership program designed exclusively for civilian public safety employees.

Senior Forensic Specialist Veronica Palomera and Police Supervisor Derek Jung completed Embassy Consulting’s Civilian Leadership Institute on May 19, graduating from the program’s 14th class alongside professionals from agencies across California, according to a Pasadena Police Department press release. The five-month program trains non-sworn employees in leadership, communication, emotional intelligence, and conflict management — skills that its organizers say prepare participants to lead more effectively within their departments.

Palomera works in the department’s Forensics Section, a unit that operates seven days a week processing evidence at crime scenes across Pasadena and assists neighboring cities including South Pasadena and San Marino. Jung serves as a police supervisor assigned to the Pasadena city jail.

The Civilian Leadership Institute, run by Embassy Consulting Services of Los Angeles, meets for two consecutive days each month over five months. Class 14 began January 12 at the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles and held its remaining sessions and graduation at Hotel FERA in Orange. The program covers nine topics, including creating highly effective teams, conflict resolution, and managing difficult employees, according to Embassy Consulting’s program description.

Embassy Consulting Services is operated by Josef Levy, a retired Long Beach Police Department commander, and Lysa Gamboa-Levy. The program is not open to the general public and costs $4,000 per participant, according to the company’s website.

Police Chief Eugene Harris noted the graduation in the department’s announcement, which said Palomera and Jung represented the department throughout the program. Multiple PPD command staff members attended the graduation, including Commanders Marcia Taglioretti and Bill Grisafe and Lieutenant Tim Bundy, according to the press release.

The graduation follows another recent professional development milestone for the department. In April, Sergeant Cristian Allen graduated from the Sherman Block Supervisory Leadership Institute, an eight-month program administered by the state Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training.

For information about the Pasadena Police Department, visit cityofpasadena.net/police.

The department’s forensics team, the commanders who attended the ceremony, the jail supervisor who stood among his graduating cohort — they are the part of a police department that most residents never see. Now two of them carry a credential that says they’re ready to lead.