Anaheim Police Chief Gaston Dies

Anaheim Police Chief Randall Gaston, a 30-year veteran of the department he led for more than five years, died Thursday of an apparent heart attack as he was jogging on his lunch hour. He was 54.

Gaston was on a group run in Pearson Park with members of the Anaheim Police Department’s special weapons and tactics team when he became ill and dropped out, then collapsed. He was given cardiopulmonary resuscitation by colleagues but could not be revived. An emergency rescue team transported him to Anaheim Memorial Medical Center, where he died at 12:55 p.m.

Gaston had filled a vacancy created by the death of Chief Joseph T. Molloy, who also died of a heart attack while exercising. He too was 54.

Shocked and grieving associates remembered Gaston as a highly respected law-enforcement officer and community leader.

“As a leader and professional, Chief Gaston was a model public servant,” Anaheim Mayor Tom Daly said. “His dedication to the community has been remarkable, and he will be difficult to replace.”

Scores of uniformed officers and staff workers gathered Thursday afternoon at the Police Department for a flag-lowering ceremony in Gaston’s memory. A photo of the chief was displayed in the lobby, surrounded by red, white and blue flowers.

Police Capt. Roger Baker, appointed interim chief by City Manager James D. Ruth, said of Gaston: “He was highly respected by the Anaheim Police Department and the community and will be greatly missed.”

Former La Habra Police Chief Steve Staveley was a friend of Gaston for more than 30 years.

“It’s just a tragedy,” said Staveley. “He’s such a good guy. He and his wife were so close.”

Gaston’s department had come under fire for its handling of a Christmas Eve accident at Disneyland. That incident, which fatally injured a park visitor, resulted in a change of policies on handling accidents at the park.

During Gaston’s tenure the city enjoyed a plummeting crime rate, and his department had notable success in solving cases.

Gaston enjoyed being a police officer. In an interview with The Times when he was appointed chief in 1994 he said:

“There’s a degree of satisfaction that comes from working with people who have really made a commitment to help with the safety of the community. . . . This job is exciting, rewarding, sometimes frustrating. But overall, it’s a very positive experience.”

Born in Lake Charles, La., Gaston was a longtime Anaheim resident who began his career in law enforcement at the city’s Police Department as a patrol officer in 1965.

He held a bachelor’s degree in criminology from Cal State Long Beach and a master’s degree in public administration from USC. He was also a graduate of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Va.

His hobbies included gardening, running, bicycle riding and reading biographies of great leaders. He once said the person he admired most, living or dead, was Mark A. Stephenson, a former Anaheim police chief who died in 1992. Gaston remembered him for his “wisdom and practical know-how.”

Gaston is survived by his wife, Linda, a psychologist with the Anaheim Union High School District; four children; and two grandchildren.

Funeral arrangements are pending.