Los Alamitos Hires New Police Chief

After nearly a decade under the leadership of Police Chief Todd Mattern, the Los Alamitos Police Department will get a new leader on Monday.

On Tuesday, the City Council voted unanimously to hire La Palma Police Department Chief Eric R. Nuñez following a months-long search in the aftermath of Mattern’s retirement announcement.

Nuñez, who holds a Master’s degree in Leadership from USC and a Bachelor’s in public administration from the University of La Verne, is also an instructor at the Golden West Criminal Justice Training Center. He trains recruits on topics including ethics, racial diversity and racial profiling.

Nuñez was interviewed by a panel of community leaders before being offered the job.

With his wife Molly, Nuñez has four children ranging in age from 8 to 25.

“My family and I are so very excited to become part of this incredible community and for me to take the reins of this extremely well-managed police department utilizing my leadership background and police futuring interests to provide a solid platform for Los Alamitos PD to take policing and community service to the next level,” he said. “I look forward to working with our business community, nonprofits, Los Alamitos Unified School District, elected officials, and, of course, our residents to continue to make Los Alamitos a safe and vibrant place to live, work, educate, and, most importantly, enjoy with our families.

Nuñez will be sworn in at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Los Alamitos Community Center.