Police Chief to Head Statewide Association

Police Chief Ronald E. Lowenberg became president of the California Police Chiefs Assn. at a ceremony Thursday night in Santa Barbara.

Lowenberg, 49, who assumed the post at the association’s annual conference, said that to be recognized by his peers “and for them to give you their vote of confidence to represent them is really an honor.”

Outgoing President Jim Anthony, police chief in Glendale, said that Lowenberg will make an outstanding president because of his strong leadership skills.

“Ron has always been very active, not only in his community but . . . to law enforcement throughout the state,” Anthony said.

In the coming year, Lowenberg will lead the association in tackling such issues as firearms control and the legalization of drugs. He said he will also strive to get police chiefs more involved in state legislative matters.

“I want them to be a real voice for professional law enforcement,” he said.

Lowenberg became Huntington Beach’s chief in September 1989, succeeding Bill Payne, who retired.

He had begun his law enforcement career more than two decades earlier on the Cypress police force, where he became a sergeant in 1972. From 1977 to 1979, he served as a lieutenant in Baldwin Park, then as a captain in Tustin from 1979 to 1981. That same year he returned to Cypress as chief.

The statewide association, made up of current and former police chiefs, has about 325 members.