CSULB Alumnus named first Latino chief of police

The Long Beach police department swore in veteran Robert G. Luna as the city’s first Latino Chief of Police on Saturday.

Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia and about a hundred police officers and Long Beach residents were in attendance at the ceremony, which took place at the Long Beach Arena Lobby. As the 26th Chief of Police, Luna succeeded previous Chief of Police, Jim McDonnell.

During the ceremony, Garcia described Luna as a “cop’s cop.”

“What I love about Robert is his inclusiveness, his transparency and the fact that he has a good, big heart,” Garcia said.

Luna, who has 29 years of law enforcement experience, first joined the department’s reserve program when he was 18 years old. Two years later, at the age of 20, he was hired as a regular police officer, Luna said via telephone.

“I used to watch police shows on television, and I loved the idea of being in law enforcement,” Luna said about his early aspirations of becoming a police officer. “To me they were like superheroes.”

His background in law enforcement includes a number of operational, investigatory and administrative assignments, including Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT), drug and gang investigations and canine operations, according to a press release on the police department website.

During his time as the police manager, he was primarily in charge of budgetary responsibility and oversight. Throughout that time he developed and implemented a number of innovative fiscal disciplines that turned out to be significant cost saving measures.

Luna said he thinks being the department’s first Latino Chief of Police as a simple coincidence.

“I would like to think that I got the position because I am competent, I have a lot of experience, I have the right approach to policing, I am a very good manager and I provide very strong leadership both in the community and at City Hall with other departments,” Luna said. “So you put all that together, and guess what, I just happened to be Latino.”

He said he credits a lot of his success not only to those who he has been in contact with, but also his education. He earned both a Master of Public Administration and a Bachelor of Vocational Education degree from Cal State University Long Beach.

Chief Luna said he believes that CSULB is a big part of his success. While he attended the university, he was able to learn about and from the student body and his professors. To him, education is a big part of an individual and he urges students to “take education seriously.”

Rather than take credit for his successful career in law enforcement, much of his speech honored those within the department who have had a tremendous impact on him both professionally and personally, like the late Long Beach Police Sgt. Mike Woodward.

“I thank God every day that I get to put on this uniform and do what I do because I absolutely love what I do,” Luna said. “This is, in [my] opinion, the best job in the world. It’s a job where you go out and make a big difference every day.”