Anaheim Chief of Police Dies : Obituary: Joseph T. Molloy, 54, had a heart attack before his morning jog. His leadership was innovative, controversial.

Police Chief Joseph T. Molloy, a fitness buff who ran marathons and participated in triathlons, died Tuesday of a heart attack as he prepared to go for a morning jog.

Molloy, who was 54, was found on the floor of his locker room next to his office at the police station by his secretary shortly after 8 a.m., authorities said. He had apparently been dead for a couple of hours.

Molloy was highly respected in the law-enforcement community and earned a reputation as an innovator who worked extremely long hours and was never afraid to say what was on his mind. More controversial, however, were his handling of a drywallers’ strike and his consulting job with the Los Angeles Rams.

“This is an absolute shock,” said Bob D. Simpson, a council member and former city manager, who hired Molloy as Anaheim’s police chief in 1988. “He was such an avid exerciser. He’s the last person I would have thought would have succumbed to a heart attack.”

Molloy was widely known for his physical prowess. He had been fanatical about running, and frequently arrived at the department at 5 a.m. to jog as many as 12 miles before work. In recent years, Molloy had participated in the grueling Iron Man Triathlon in Hawaii.

“He was at the peak of health,” said Lt. Marc Hedgpeth, who frequently ran with the chief. “He was a role model of fitness for many of the younger and older officers in the department.”

Despite all his cardiovascular activities, a coroner’s investigator said Tuesday that Molloy suffered from heart disease and had an enlarged heart. City officials said Molloy was apparently unaware of his condition. He was due next month for an annual physical exam, which is required of all department heads.

Molloy became Anaheim’s chief June 6, 1988, at a time when the department’s leadership had been rocked by several retirements among its top administrators.

Said City Manager James D. Ruth: “Chief Molloy was one of the most dedicated and hardest-working men I ever knew. His loss is not only a loss for his family but for every citizen of Anaheim.”

Ruth appointed Capt. Randall Gaston as interim police chief.

Under Molloy, the department of 500 employees saw little growth in personnel, but did experience significant changes in police policies.

He was responsible for changing the department’s brown uniforms to more traditional navy blue, as well as converting all-white squad cars to black-and-white patrol vehicles.

Molloy also instituted a three-day workweek with 12-hour work shifts for many officers and turned over many administrative duties to noncommissioned employees so more officers could be deployed in the streets. He experimented with community policing and was one of the first chiefs in the county to allow his officers to carry nunchakus, a martial arts weapon.

“He was definitely a cop’s cop,” said council member Fred Hunter, a former police officer with the city. “He’s brought the department into the 20th Century.”

During Molloy’s last 18 months as chief, the department saw its violent crime rate drop by 11.4% and it also made some high-profile arrests, primarily because of some undercover investigations.

In May, the department arrested 23 alleged graffiti vandals after officers posing as students infiltrated tagging crews at Loara and Katella high schools.

It also made several large-scale drug arrests in the last three years, netting more than two tons of cocaine. And the department broke up a major counterfeiting ring that was based in the city.

But the department also had some recent problems as well.

Molloy was scrutinized over the past eight months because of a second job he held as a security consultant for the Los Angeles Rams.

Last week, City Manager Ruth ordered Molloy to no longer accept a salary from the team because it could have led to a conflict of interest if the chief had been forced to make a law enforcement decision detrimental to the team or a player.

Last August, striking drywall workers criticized Molloy for seeking a restraining order to block their protests in Anaheim, saying he was trying to deny their right to demonstrate. But the chief said the drywallers were blocking city streets and yelling obscenities and insults at his officers.

As news of Molloy’s death became known Tuesday, a somber mood swept through the police station as well as City Hall.

“Everybody is just numb,” said Lt. Ray Welch. “There’s a lot of pain and a lot of hurting in this department right now.”

Flags in the city were ordered flown at half staff by noon.

Cpl. Robert Flores, who helped lower the flag outside the police station, said the chief was not only his boss, but also a friend.

“Chief Molloy was the best thing that has ever happened to this department,” Flores said. “He had an open-door policy and was very approachable. He would stop and talk to you in the hallways and he gave you his time.”

Officials from other law enforcement agencies throughout the county were also shocked by Molloy’s death.

“Joe was a leader among police chiefs here in Orange County and throughout the state,” Orange County Sheriff Brad Gates said. “He was very well-respected. He was a professional and he will be deeply missed.”

Before coming to Anaheim, Molloy had been Alhambra’s police chief from 1980 to 1985. In 1985, he was named that city’s director of public safety, which placed him in charge of both the police and fire departments.

Molloy began his law enforcement career in 1962 as a reserve officer with the Monterey Park Police Department. He moved to Azusa’s department in 1964, where he attained the rank of lieutenant. In 1977, he was named a captain in Culver City’s department before moving on to Alhambra.

Molloy is survived by his wife, Pam, and four children. They could not be reached for comment. Funeral arrangements are pending.