New Interim Beverly Hills Police Chief Confirmed

BEVERLY HILLS, CA — There’s a new sheriff in town: the Beverly Hills City Council unanimously approved the appointment of Dominick Rivetti as Interim Chief of the Beverly Hills Police Department Tuesday night. He begins his tenure on Wednesday.

Rivetti, a 45-year law enforcement veteran, was nominated for the position on May 13. He served as Interim Beverly Hills Police Department Chief from August 2015 to March 2016. Many on the Council who worked with Rivetti before prefaced their remarks with, “Welcome back.”

Before that, Rivetti served 31 years with the San Fernando Police Department, with the last 15 years as Chief. From 2001 to 2006, he served as Chief of the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Bureau of Investigation.

“Thank you for the opportunity to serve all of you and all the citizens of Beverly Hills, and I look forward to working with the outstanding men and women of the Beverly Hills Police Department to keep Beverly Hills as safe as possible, especially in these trying times with the pandemic,” Rivetti said.

There were no public phone calls or emails on the matter, and councilmembers did not ask Rivetti any questions. Instead, they offered their congratulations and well wishes.

“Welcome back —I’m thinking of that song ‘Welcome Back, Kotter’,” said Councilmember and former Mayor John Mirisch. “Welcome back, Chief Rivetti, and looking forward to your working with our PD and setting them up for the next chapter. You know our department, you know our city, and you’re well-positioned to do so, so thank you for your willingness to step up.”

“Even though I was not in office [when you last served as Chief], I did have the opportunity to meet with you when you were here the last time,” said Mayor Lester Friedman. “Our City Manager said, get your salary, of course, no benefits, the reality is the big benefit is to our police force and to our city, so thank you very much for meeting with us, and look forward to working with you.”

Friedman was referring to the fact that Rivetti will receive $23,660 month as his salary, not including benefits.

After the comments section, Councilmember and former Mayor Lili Bosse made a motion to approve the employment agreement between the city and Chief Rivetti that was seconded by Councilmember and former Mayor Julian Gold, who noted that he was mayor when Rivetti was last interim chief. Councilmembers Gold, Bosse, Mirisch, Vice Mayor Robert Wunderlich, and Mayor Lester Friedman all voted in favor of Rivetti’s appointment.

Rivetti starts work the day after the vote, taking over a department rocked by several controversies related to Former Chief Sandra Spagnoli, which cost the city over $7 million in lawsuits.