North County Top Cop To Head BART Police Department

LOS ALAMITOS, CA — Santa Ana Police Chief Carlos Rojas Friday announced that he is leaving the department after 27 years to take the helm as the first Latino top cop of the Bay Area Rapid Transit system.

Rojas was expected to become chief of the transit system's police department late next month or in early June, BART officials said. Rojas must still clear psychological exams and a background check, which takes about a month.

Rojas called it a "privilege" to serve in Santa Ana's department since he joined it as an officer in 1990. When he was sworn in in January of that year it was his first police job, he said.

"It's been a great experience and I'm grateful I had a lot of opportunities working my way up to the position of chief," Rojas told City News Service. "It's been quite a privilege to serve Santa Ana and our officers here."

Rojas succeeded Paul Walters as interim chief in 2012 when Walters took on the city manager's job. Two years later he was given the permanent job.

Rojas grew up in the Huntington Beach area, saying he is "definitely home-grown Orange County."
It will be a big change moving to the Bay area, but, he said, "That's what's going to make it fun."

Among the highlights of his local career, Rojas named his work on a federal money-laundering task force for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which got him involved in a shootout one evening.

"My partner was shot, but fortunately training kicked in and I was able to shoot the suspect and save both of our lives," Rojas said.

Rojas added it was an "honor" to be picked for BART's police chief.

"I'm excited and humbled to have been selected to lead such a progressive police department," Rojas said.
BART officials noted that Rojas is "not only an advocate but also an educator in Community Oriented Policing practices." Rojas has trained law enforcement officers in community policing in Central America as well as on college campuses, officials said.

"The police department has been moving in the right direction, and I am confident that our new chief will accelerate our efforts to increase the visibility of police officers on our trains and in our stations," BART General Manager Grace Crunican said. "I have asked the new chief to focus attention on our police recruitment practices to ensure the department is able to hire a full complement of officers."

The growing population of homeless in the city is a problem for his successor to grapple with, but Rojas said there's hope.

"I see hope moving forward because there's a lot more people paying attention to the issue now and starting to work on mitigation efforts, to at least put resources toward it," Rojas said.

According to a report from the Los Angeles Times,the Santa Ana City Council has openly criticized Rojas's work after a rise in Santa Ana gang-related shootings. Recently, Rojas received a vote of “no confidence” from the Santa Ana Police Officers Association.

Rojas blames funding and staffing levels as part of Santa Ana Police Department's biggest issues.

"We've been struggling with our staffing levels," Rojas said. "The challenges will continue to be staffing and budgetary issues on a more global scale for the city and for our residents with an ongoing effort to improve public safety with limited resources."

Rojas earned a master's degree in criminal justice at Chapman University and a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Cal State Long Beach.

City News Service contributed to this report.

Santa Ana Police Department Photo