SIERRA MADRE : Sheriff’s Lieutenant Named Police Chief
A lieutenant who heads the child-abuse unit of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department will become police chief of one of the safest cities in California.
Lt. Joseph R. Surgent, 51, was named by the city administrator Tuesday to take the reins of the 20-person Police Department March 14. Surgent was chosen from a field of nearly 30 candidates to fill the $58,704 position. The salary is the lowest for a chief in the valley.
Mayor Clem L. Bartolai said Surgent will take a pay cut but will get a pension from the Sheriff’s Department because he is retiring after 20 years’ service.
Surgent has a master’s degree in administration from Cal State Los Angeles and is married with three grown children. He succeeds Chief I. E. (Bill) Betts, who retired in August after 17 years. Last year state crime statistics ranked Sierra Madre 21st among cities with the least crime in the state.
More to Read
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
