SANTA MARIA, Calif. - Former Santa Maria Police Chief Danny Macagni retired on Friday, Monday the city manager names a new Interim Chief from Los Angeles.
City Manager Rick Haydon is pleased to announce the appointment of retired Los Angeles County Sheriff Commander Ralph Martin as the City's Interim Chief of Police for the City of Santa Maria. Chief Martin was a 35-year veteran of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and was responsible for Los Angeles County Region II, which encompasses the communities of Compton, Century, Carson, Lomita, Lennox, Marina del Rey, and West Hollywood. His responsibilities also included overseeing the security for MTA as well as all Metrolink trains and nine junior college campuses. For more than four years, Chief Martin was also the contract Police Chief for the community of La Canada-Flintridge.
Chief Martin holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from California State University, Los Angeles, and a Master of Arts degree in Communications from Pepperdine University. Chief Martin will be the Interim Police Chief for the City while it conducts a nationwide search for a new Police Chief.
"I am honored and excited about this opportunity to be leading the Santa Maria Police Department as its Chief. I am looking forward to meeting and working with the Mayor and City Council, the City Manager, other City Departments, the men and women of the Santa Maria Police Department, the Police Officers' Association, and equally important, the residents of Santa Maria. My wife Colleen and I have just arrived in town and are looking forward to getting to know the City a little bit more. I spent over 35 years with the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department where I was fortunate to be assigned to a variety of positions which I am sure will assist me with leading the Santa Maria Police Department," Martin said.
"I think the City is very fortunate to be able to get someone of Chief Martin's credentials to come in and help out the Police Department during this transition time. Chief Martin comes to the City with some very impressive skill sets that will benefit the men and women of the Police Department and I look forward to working with him in the months to come and making him part of my management team," City Manager Haydon stated.
Chief Martin started his first day this morning, meeting with City administrators, various City Council members and staff of the Police Department.
