Oceanside Hires Chief of Police From Hanford

After four months of searching for a police chief, Oceanside city officials have announced the selection of a 41-year-old law enforcement veteran from Hanford, Calif., to lead the city’s much-maligned force.

Oliver Lee Drummond, Hanford’s chief of police, was chosen from a pool of nearly 40 candidates, including applicants from the San Diego and Los Angeles police departments, said City Manager Ron Bradley, who made the announcement Monday.

Drummond, an 18-year police veteran, has spent the last six years as chief in Hanford, which is just south of Fresno and has a population of about 30,000.

Drummond, who graduated first in his class from the Orange County Sheriff’s Academy in 1970, previously held posts with the Santa Ana Police Department, including detective commander and police academy commander.

He was one of three finalists--the two others were Chief Gerald Boyd of Coronado and Capt. Brook McMahon of Glendale--under consideration to fill the vacancy created by the death of Chief Robert Smith in June. Drummond is scheduled to succeed Acting Police Chief Michael Shirley on Jan. 23.

‘Intense’ Application Process

“We had a lot of good people apply and go through a very intense process,” Bradley said Tuesday. “The process included psychological screening, background, appraisal of managerial abilities and evaluation of past successes as a manager, (and) as a police chief. Lee was a winner in all categories.

“He has dealt with similar problems in his previous posts that he will face in Oceanside . . . those that come from a rising crime rate and from a growing population,” Bradley said. “He’s handled those problems with success. And he’s done that by taking people off the street who don’t belong there.”

In a telephone interview Tuesday from Hanford, Drummond said he decided to leave his current post--where he commands 35 officers and is paid $60,000 a year--to accept the more challenging Oceanside position. According to Bradley, Drummond will be responsible for more than 230 employees, including 160 officers, and will receive an annual salary of $74,582.

When he takes office next month, Drummond will be expected to revitalize a police force that was critically described by an independent consultant this fall as lacking manpower, direction and leadership. Interviews conducted by the consultants revealed that many officers felt they received little support from City Hall and showed their discontent about lack of working space and long-range goals.

Boosting Morale

Addressing those concerns is the first item on the new chief’s agenda. Drummond said the consultant’s findings have urged him to place as much emphasis on boosting morale and teamwork as tackling problems like drug dealing and prostitution.

“My primary goal is to make an effective team,” Drummond said. “The underlying theme of everything I do will be teamwork. That goal was established as a result of my personal philosophy and observations made in the report.”

Although the problems that lie ahead are complex, Drummond said he has the “tools” to make the Police Department a success.

“I’ve had some time to review the qualifications of the staff and I’m extremely impressed,” Drummond said. “Oceanside has a lot of good people. And that’s the reason why I’m going there. If I wasn’t going to have talent around me, I never would have accepted.”