Embattled Port Hueneme Police Chief Resigns

Following a no-confidence vote in April by a majority of his staff, Police Chief Stephen Campbell will resign after less than three years on the job, a city official said Wednesday.

In a brief telephone interview Wednesday afternoon, the 48-year-old Campbell confirmed he is leaving and declined to elaborate on his decision or his future plans.

“I thought it was best for me and my family,” Campbell said. “There are a lot of things I’d rather not share.”

City Manager Bob Hunt said that despite many complaints by officers of turmoil in the small, seaside Police Department, and the existence of an ongoing audit of police operations, Campbell was not asked to leave. Hunt did call the situation “a trying time.”

“The chief is aware we are doing the audit and he has been interviewed [by auditors]. He clearly is aware of comments made publicly” about him by officers, Hunt said late Wednesday.

Campbell’s resignation was announced shortly before noon inside council chambers at City Hall. Hunt told a room full of officers, dispatchers and other department staff that Campbell’s last day would be next Thursday and that he would be taking a 30-day administrative leave, a benefit available to city management, before his official departure date of Sept. 29.

Cmdr. Fernie Estrella, a longtime department employee, has been selected as acting chief starting Sept. 1. Before beginning a search for a new chief, city officials want to study the results of the management audit, Hunt said.

Hunt said he didn’t know what Campbell’s plans are, but said they could include retirement. Campbell said he will discuss with his wife and children whether they should relocate from their current home in Camarillo.

News of the chief’s departure spread fast throughout the small city.

“I’m glad he’s gone,” said Yolanda Anguiano, founder of a local Neighborhood Watch group, who also passed out hundreds of fliers in May that asked residents to support officers who were trying to oust Campbell.

Officer Tony Paradis, head of the 30-employee Port Hueneme Police Officers’ Assn., said the announcement was a relief for officers and dispatchers.

“We’ve had a lot of turmoil and I don’t know if [Campbell’s resignation] was because of that or if there were personal reasons--maybe it was a combination of both. Whatever the reason, when that meeting ended I saw a level of enthusiasm I hadn’t seen in a couple of years,” Paradis said.

Police officials and other city leaders, including Mayor Murray Rosenbluth, declined to comment on Campbell’s resignation and referred all calls to Hunt.

In the written statement issued by the city, though, the mayor said: “The standard of excellence in the Police Department has been raised under Steve’s leadership . . . “

Campbell, who was widely praised for his department’s assistance during the Alaska Airlines crash off the Port Hueneme coast in January, said in the written statement he was proud of several achievements during his tenure.

Those included the ongoing implementation of a computer-aided dispatch and records management system, a thorough revision of the department’s policies and procedures manual, and a new Explorer program.

Since he was hired in late 1997 to succeed Chief John Hopkins, Campbell’s tenure has been riddled with controversy.

Last April, the police union issued a vote of no confidence, 26-2, against Campbell and demanded action by city officials. The union’s complaints included claims of random, unwarranted suspensions, firings and internal investigations, a lack of respect toward rank-and-file officers and female employees and extreme micromanagement.

By June, city leaders approved a contract with the Justice Training Institute, a Northern California consulting firm, for a top-to-bottom review of the Police Department.

“Clearly, one of the impetuses was the fact there was a vote of no confidence taken,” Hunt said. “We felt is was important to get an outside, independent review of the management operations and see where the truth rests.”

A report on the audit is due to city officials in the next 10 to 14 days, Hunt said.