Ex-assistant sheriff to lead college police force

Wave Wire Services

WHITTIER — Lakewood Mayor Todd Rogers has been named the first chief of Rio Hondo College’s Police and Campus Safety Department.

The RHC Police and Campus Safety Department has operated under an interim police chief since it was founded in 2023 by the Río Hondo Community College District Board of Trustees.

Rogers, who was elected to the Lakewood City Council in 2001, is currently serving as the city’s mayor. His hiring as the campus police chief was approved at the college board’s Aug. 14 meeting, and he will be officially sworn in at the board’s Oct. 9 meeting.

A 32-year veteran of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Rogers served as assistant sheriff for four years and as commanding officer of the Carson Sheriff’s Station for six years.

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“The Río Hondo College Police Department is the newest law enforcement agency in Los Angeles County, and collectively our goal is to build a department the entire college is proud of and will ensure the continued safety for our students, staff and community,” Rogers said in a statement.

According to college officials, the RHC Police and Campus Safety Department will work closely with the sheriff’s Department, the Whittier and El Monte police departments, and other allied public safety agencies to ensure the safety of the college and all RHC educational centers throughout its service territory.

The community college district board unanimously voted to establish an independent campus police department as part of the college’s commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of its students, faculty, staff and the public at its May 2023 meeting, officials said in a statement.

“Chief Todd Rogers is a respected leader who brings a wealth of experience with him to Río Hondo College and is the perfect person to lead us in what is a pivotal moment in our history,” Superintendent/President Marilyn Flores said in a statement.

“The founding of the Police and Campus Safety Department reinforces our commitment to being a safe, inclusive and welcoming environment for everyone who steps foot on our campus. To succeed, our students must feel safe, welcomed and secure on our campus and that was our guiding principle in this decision and everything we do here at Río Hondo College,” Flores said.

As part of the adopted resolution, the college will form a Public Safety Advisory Committee made up of students and faculty to provide input in policing matters, officials said.

The department will operate under a “community policing model” grounded in principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility and anti-racism, while also committing to regular training on community policing practices, anti-bias, cultural responsibility, conflict avoidance and de-escalation, officials said.

       
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