Interim police chief named
CITY HALL — The City Council on Tuesday appointed Assistant Glendale Police Chief Ron De Pompa to lead the agency on an interim basis until a permanent replacement for Randy Adams is found.
Adams, who announced in April that he would retire as Glendale’s top cop on July 10, will remain in his post to facilitate the transition, city officials said.
De Pompa, a 32-year-veteran of the force who said he intends to retire within a year, will lead the department while the City Council this summer begins the arduous search for a new police chief.
As that happens, De Pompa said he would facilitate “the good work of this department. We certainly don’t want to disrupt that in any way, shape or form.”
City Council members confirmed De Pompa’s latest assignment in a closed-session meeting Tuesday before announcing the decision at its regular meeting. His ability to maintain stability in a department that, in addition to losing its chief, is in the process of trying to withstand possible budget cuts to bridge a citywide $9.7-million gap, played a major role in his appointment, city officials said.
In a statement released after the appointment, City Manager Jim Starbird said De Pompa had “great institutional knowledge of the department” that would assist with the transition.
Adams still plans to retire on July 10, but Glendale Police Sgt. Tom Lorenz, a spokesman for department, confirmed that several public safety agencies had “reached out” to the chief.
All of the proposals were in the nascent stages, and no commitments had been made, he said.
“[Adams] is a hot commodity,” Lorenz said.
De Pompa became a police officer in 1978, and steadily rose through the ranks to his current post, which he assumed in 2004.
He said the transition over the coming weeks would be, “in essence, a nonissue.”
“We’ve always had a superior partnership and relationship, so it will be a very smooth transition,” De Pompa said.
After the City Council announcement Tuesday night, Assistant City Manager Bob McFall said the upcoming search for new police chief would be “quite a community-involved process.”
JASON WELLS is city editor. He may be reached at (818) 637-3235 or by e-mail at jason.wells@latimes.com.