Costa Mesa names park for its longest-tenured police chief, Roger Neth

Roger Neth — the first officer to patrol Costa Mesa’s streets in 1953 and the city’s second-ever chief — has received many honors in his 94 years, but a recent acknowledgement from city officials will cement his name in local history.

Members of the Costa Mesa City Council on Tuesday unanimously agreed to rename Civic Center Park on Fair Drive after Neth, who’s lived in the city since 1936 and is credited with bringing many innovative standards and practices to the Costa Mesa Police Department during his 33-year tenure.

Tuesday’s vote bypasses the traditional renaming route, which requires approval by the city’s Parks, Arts and Community Services Commission, but honors the spirit of a policy that allows officials to name local lands and property after prominent citizens and their “outstanding contributions.”

In an interview Wednesday, Neth humbly acknowledged the civic recognition.

Costa Mesa resident Roger Neth, in a still taken from a video produced by city staff, was honored Tuesday when council members voted to rename Civic Center Park in his honor.

(Screen shot by Sara Cardine)

“I’m very pleased and quite honored,” he said of the legacy. “But I look at things a little differently. I was a public employee — I got paid for what I was supposed to do. Most employers want you to do the best you can, so I always figured, give it your best try.”

That simple maxim took Neth pretty far in the Costa Mesa Police Department. Working under then-Chief Arthur McKenzie, the young officer was promoted to the rank of sergeant in 1954, then lieutenant in 1956 and captain in 1959 before becoming chief of police in 1964.

Neth helmed the station for 22 years before retiring in 1986 as CMPD’s longest tenured police chief, a title he still holds to this day. Under his leadership, the department installed computer terminals in patrol cars so officers could look up warrants and vehicle details. He also introduced the city’s first helicopter program.

The station employed the first handwriting experts in Orange County and used Sony cameras to record DUI traffic stops that would later assist law enforcement in prosecuting criminals.

“If a case went to court, the jury or the judge would be able to see what officers saw at the time of the arrest,” Neth recalled Wednesday. “That tremendously decreased the number of our ‘not guilty’ pleas.”

The recommendation to rename the 2.5-acre Civic Center Park was put forth by outgoing Mayor Katrina Foley on the suggestion of Costa Mesa resident Cathy Jo Liebel, a friend and neighbor of the 94-year-old former police chief.

“This park, right next to the police station, is the perfect way to honor Chief Neth’s many years of service to our community,” Foley said at Tuesday’s meeting. “He really did value training and innovation and making our department as strong and as community oriented as possible.”

Speaking in a public comment Tuesday, Liebel thanked the council for considering the commendation and expressed her gratitude to Neth’s long service in the city.

“If anybody ever has an opportunity to talk to him, they should because he is a wealth of information and of the history of Costa Mesa,” she said.

The sentiment was seconded by current Costa Mesa Police Chief Bryan Glass, who acknowledged the foundation laid by Neth and other CMPD continues to this day.

“Thank you for the support in naming this park for someone who led the path for myself, many officers before me and many officers to come,” Glass said. “I’d be very proud to drive by that park every day, as I do multiple times, and know it represents a legacy in our organization.”

As for Neth, this week’s recognition is just one more highlight of a long and satisfying career.

“I can honestly say I can’t remember a day I didn’t enjoy going to work,” he said. “It was a good time.”

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