Adair to Retire as Santa Paula’s Police Chief

Ventura County’s longest-serving police chief, the colorful and often-controversial Walt Adair, announced Wednesday that he will step down in seven months.

Adair, 54, was appointed Santa Paula chief in 1986 after progressing through the ranks since being hired as a patrol officer in 1967.

He will retire April 30, according to City Manager Peter A. Cosentini.

The chief with the second-longest tenure in the county is Richard Thomas, who assumed the top post at the Ventura Police Department in 1987. He plans to retire Dec. 15.

A search for Adair’s replacement will start this week, Cosentini said. Recommendation of a final candidate will be made by the city manager and must be approved by the City Council.

Two commanders on the force, Bob Gonzales and Mark Hanson, are prime candidates, but they have not announced if they will apply.

Santa Paula Police Sgt. Steve Carter, president of the Santa Paula Police Officers Assn., said Wednesday night that he is happy for Adair and wishes him well but that “it’s time for a changing of the guard.”

“We would like to get somebody who is very progressive and who is going to bring in fresh ideas and utilize resources more effectively,” Carter said.

Adair came under fire in August 1997 when 92% of the city’s unionized officers gave him a vote of “no confidence,” accusing him of poor leadership, hindering investigations and putting officers’ “lives in danger due to his failure to maintain an up-to-date knowledge of law enforcement tactics.”

He was also targeted for disbanding the department’s gang and drug units, both of which are major areas of crime in the city, and failing to effectively seek out alternative funding sources, such as state and federal law enforcement grants.

The Ventura County Grand Jury as recently as July was urging city officials to resolve the running conflict between Adair and the union, and to focus more on gangs and drug trafficking.

Adair, who could not be reached for comment Wednesday night, has long dismissed the complaints as part of an ongoing labor dispute.

City Councilman Jim Garfield, though, lauded Adair’s tenure as the city’s top cop.

“What the police association brought forward last year they would never back up with specific details,” Garfield said. “In my opinion, they put a cloud over Chief Adair’s head in the city and I’m glad he held out for another year. I think he’s been a good chief.”

Overall, crime in Santa Paula dropped about 18% in 1997, the most recent figures available. However, violent crime jumped because of a sharp increase in felony assaults.

For more than a year, Adair has been publicly anticipating his retirement but has said he wanted to remain in office long enough to see the outcome of two major projects aimed at helping the department.

In a letter issued Monday announcing his retirement to the 31-officer force, Adair wrote that he wants to be at the upcoming opening of a police substation at Las Piedras Park on the city’s east side, and see the results of a city ballot measure to increase department funding.

Adair co-authored a measure on the city’s November ballot that, if approved by voters, will increase property taxes to raise money for the department.

Additionally, Cosentini credited Adair with starting the city’s DARE program in 1988, automating the department’s records and reporting systems, and computerizing emergency dispatch and communications.

“I wish to take this opportunity to publicly thank Walt for dedicating a majority of his adult life to serving the citizens of Santa Paula,” Cosentini said.

Adair has also been credited with starting a citizens patrol program that was recognized nationally in 1994 and for a veterans hiring program honored by state officials in 1995.

In retirement, Adair is expected to concentrate on his piloting career. He is an avid flier who spends his vacations ferrying planes around the world for a local company.

Adair and his wife of 31 years, Linda, have two adult children.