Police add job of assistant chief

Darleene Barrientos

The Glendale Police Department is getting its first assistant police

chief in more than 40 years.

At Tuesday night’s City Council meeting, the council members

approved a list of citywide salary raises, including one for the

once-dormant assistant position.

Ron DePompa will be sworn in Thursday to the assistant chief slot,

along with several other officials receiving promotions. Six other

department officials will move into the ranks of captain, lieutenant

and sergeant.

The unanimous approval of the salary change Tuesday allowed the

salary of the assistant chief to be reworked, since the position has

been on the books for the past several years with the same salary as

a captain.

“It wouldn’t make sense to promote into a position making the same

money,” Glendale Police Chief Randy Adams said.

DePompa, 47, was a captain with the department for 14 years. He

has been with the department for 27 years and has served as a

sergeant in patrol and vice/narcotics, a lieutenant in traffic and

patrol. As a captain, he oversaw each of the department’s divisions.

The six other department veterans who will be promoted Thursday

are lieutenants Ray Edey and Mike Rock, who will be made captains,

and sergeants Carl Povilaitis and Kirk Palmer, who will be promoted

to lieutenant. Officers Harley Wing and Scott Bickle will be promoted

to sergeant.

“This is somewhat historic and unusual for the department.

Retirements, as well as planned departmental growth, have coincided

to create one of the largest ceremonial promotions we’ve ever

experienced,” DePompa said.

The ensuing shuffle within the department will also serve the

purposes of reorganization, Adams said.

“What was occurring before was, you had [now-retired] Capt. Jim

Swinford consumed with the building project to the point that we had

to shift a lot of administrative responsibilities that would normally

be his to other divisions,” Adams said.

“Between my office and the assistant chief position and the four

captains, we can balance the administrative workload. [We] can have

time to interact with respective units and form closer bonds and be

able to work on enhancing operations at every level at the

department.”