Laguna police chief to retire

After 38 years with the city, Laguna Beach Police Chief Paul Workman is retiring.

Workman, 60, gave notice last week and his last official day will be Aug. 22, City Manager John Pietig said.

“Paul has done a great job and we’re going to miss his knowledge of the city,” Pietig said. “He’s a dedicated city employee.”

Workman started as a reserve officer in 1975 and was hired full-time in 1976, according to a news release. The chief said it was television’s portrayal of police as heroes and the notion of job security that convinced him to pursue a law enforcement career.

He worked his way up to sergeant, lieutenant, and captain, and was appointed chief in 2009.

Workman said it’s tough to select a defining career moment, but he singled out the department’s transition to electronic dispatch records after he was promoted to lieutenant in 1989. He also said running a department in four trailers during renovation of the police facility at City Hall, and then moving back into the completed building, was quite memorable.

“Moving a dispatch center is a major project,” said Workman, who lives in Norco with his wife, Valerie.

Workman may stay on past August to help find his replacement, Pietig said.

Workman said the next chief will have to understand that residents and business owners in the city demand a high level of police service, so it’s important to engage the public.

He told of the time he responded to a complaint of a parked car blocking an alley. He said that when he found out the car belonged to a man who apparently needed crutches to get around, he worked with the people involved to try to find a solution.

“I wanted to take a look to try to mitigate these neighborhood issues,” Workman said.

Pietig said Laguna will will advertise the job on the city’s website and in law enforcement publications.

Workman said that in his free time, he plans to fly his single-engine 1964 Cessna 210 on short trips and relax.

“I’m going to clear my head, regroup,” Workman said. “My wife and I would like to do some traveling.”