Costa Mesa city, police officials honor legacy of former Chief Roger Neth in park dedication
Local officials joined with Costa Mesa Police Department’s top brass past and present to celebrate Roger Neth — a resident who, in 1953, became one of the city’s first police officers — and to rename a prominent park in his honor.
In an outdoor ceremony Thursday at what will from now on be known as Neth Park, adjacent to the Police Department and formerly called Civic Center Park, city leaders personally thanked the 94-year-old Neth for his innumerable contributions to the community.
“It is thanks to Chief Neth that Costa Mesa’s Police Department has a reputation of being one of the finest in the state of California,” said Mayor John Stephens. “It was his accomplishments and innovation that set the stage early for the expectations of this great department that continue to this very day.”
Neth moved to Costa Mesa in 1936 and still lives a short distance from the station he helped form and revolutionize in his 33-year tenure. He was promoted to sergeant in 1954, then lieutenant in 1956 and captain in 1959 before becoming Costa Mesa’s second police chief in 1964, a title he held for the next 22 years.
Under his leadership, the department installed computer terminals in patrol cars so officers could look up warrants and used Sony vehicle cameras to record DUI traffic stops. The station also employed the first handwriting experts in Orange County and introduced helicopters, which Neth learned to fly.
“I enjoyed my years with the Costa Mesa Police Department,” the nonagenarian said Thursday, thanking those in attendance. “I looked forward every day to going to work, and that’s an honest statement.”
The ceremony was not the first honor to be bestowed upon Neth. In 2016, he received a Mayor’s Award for being an instrumental figure in the formation of the department. That same year, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame at Newport Harbor High School, where he was a member of the class of 1944 and played football during the 1942 championship season.
Cathy Jo Liebel, a neighbor of Neth’s for the past 27 years, said she went to city officials to urge them to pay tribute to a local legend. On Thursday, she posed with the former police chief at the monument sign welcoming visitors to Neth Park.
“I’m overwhelmed,” she said. “He is just a wealth of history, someone who’s done so much for our city. He’s a good man, and he’s got a great family and a great legacy.”
Representing the continuation of that legacy, several who succeeded Neth in the position of chief came out to lend their support, including former chiefs Dave Snowden (1986-2003), Tom Gazsi (2011-2014) and Bryan Glass (2019-2021), along with current Chief Ron Lawrence.
“It is truly admirable what he’s accomplished for this department,” Lawrence said, turning to address Neth directly. “Thank you so much for setting the foundation not only for the past and present but far into the future.”
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