The Chief of Police and Emergency Management (Chief) is a transformative leadership role at the heart of LA Metro's public safety vision. This individual will oversee the establishment of the TCPSD and ensure its alignment with LA Metro's values of diversity, equity, inclusion, and empathy. The Chief will be expected to develop comprehensive strategies to tailor community policing with innovative, solutions to address challenges across the system and increase safety and security.

The Chief will champion the "Code of Conduct" to address conduct that impacts the daily transit experience. As the leader of LA Metro's TCPSD, the Chief will also be empathetic and cultivate a culture rooted in care-based public safety practices. This vision will integrate community-oriented policing, evidence-based strategies, and modern best practices, including deploying Ambassadors, Crisis Interventionists, and Homeless Outreach Specialists alongside law enforcement officers. Through these efforts, the Chief will drive tangible improvements in safety and security across the transit system.

Additionally, the Chief will be responsible for incrementally deploying a substantial number of sworn officers and civilian staff into the department and allocating them across LA Metro operations.

• Oversee a public safety department by directing the strategic activities related to law enforcement, crime prevention, crime suppression, mental health, substance abuse, and the unhoused.

• Ensure the department's operations are transparent and data-driven while creating a culture of accountability and continuous improvement;

• Improve rider experience; advance care-based and community policing;

• Interface with numerous outside authorities to develop effective and comprehensive plans and precautionary and preventive steps to safeguard the public and LA Metro's infrastructure; and,

• Operationalize TCPSD's emergency, crisis management, and counterterrorism plans to ensure LA Metro is prepared for significant emergency and critical incidents as well as planned events such as the 2026 World Cup, 2027 Super Bowl, and the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

May be required to perform other related job duties

Knowledge of (defined as a learned body of information that is required for and applied in the performance of job tasks)

• Will bring an exemplary career history from a major metropolitan area and a reputation for being approachable, engaging, and empathetic;

• Recruit, hire, and retain a diverse workforce committed to maintaining the highest standards in public safety;

• Implement meaningful police policies, including de-escalation;

• Advance community-based and 21st-century policing strategies that allow officers to build community trust and improve safety;

• Implement creative strategies to improve staff visibility across the transit operation;

• Promote safety, emotional and physical wellness, and a sense of belonging among all public safety employees through professional development, continuous training, and career growth opportunities for both sworn and civilian employees.

Skill in (defined as the proficient manual, verbal, or mental utilization of data, people, or things)

• Be skilled in conflict resolution, trauma-informed practices, and de-escalation techniques to ensure the department operates professionally and compassionately

• Develop comprehensive strategies to address quality of life issues on the system;

• Possess exceptional communication skills, a demonstrated ability to foster trust with diverse communities, and a record of delivering improved public safety outcomes;

Ability to (defined as a present competence to perform an observable behavior or produce an observable result)

• Communicate effectively and transparently

• Work with LA Metro's leadership and staff to provide riders with excellent customer service and promote accountability, racial equity, budget stewardship, professionalism, and community engagement;

• Address nighttime safety, in part, by implementing strategies that include Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED); and

• Acquire and use technology to enhance efficiency, effectiveness, and informed decision-making in a way that maintains individual privacy;

• Engage, build trust, and sustain working relationships with a wide range of partners, including riders, LA Metro Leadership, department employees, police partners, and community-based organizations;

A combination of education and/or experience that provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the essential functions of the position.  Additional experience, as outlined below, may be substituted for required education on a year-for-year basis.  A typical combination includes:

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, public administration, law enforcement, or in a related field; Master′s Degree in law enforcement management, business administration, or related field is preferred. Advanced management training, such as the FBI National Executive Institute, FBI National Academy, Police Executive Leadership Institute, or the Police Executive Research Forum’s Senior Management Institute for Police, is desirable.

Experience

• Ten years of executive management-level law enforcement experience administering programs and plans in law enforcement and safety, working with vulnerable populations, including the unhoused and those experiencing mental health challenges. Experience in transit policing, community policing, or specialized policing is highly desirable, as is a record of building out or standing up a department, bureau, or unit.

Certifications/Licenses/Special Requirements

• The selected candidate must hold or be able to obtain POST certification in California and a California Class C Driver’s License 

Working Conditions

• Typical office situation 

• Close exposure to computer monitors and video screen

Physical Effort Required

• Sitting and a desk or table

• Operate a telephone or other telecommunications device and communicate through the medium

• Type and use a keyboard and mouse to perform necessary computer-based functions

• Walking (distance 5' to 100') 

• Communication through speech in the English language required 

• Good distance vision and/or depth perception to judge distances

• Color recognition (e.g. distinguishing wires, resistors, containers, light signals, etc)