Fountain Valley police name new captain

Torus Tammer

Fountain Valley Police Lt. Paul Sorrell is now Capt. Sorrell. The new

appointee will take over the duties of Capt. Rod Gillman, who retires

Friday after 34 years in law enforcement.

At a formal badge ceremony in City Council chambers Tuesday, Chief

Elvin Miali promoted Sorrell, along with Sgt. Kim Brown and Senior

Officer Mike Simko. Brown is now a lieutenant, and Simko is a sergeant.

“All three that I’m promoting are similar in their approach,” Miali

said. “They are proactive as opposed to reactive.”

Sorrell, a 19-year veteran of the Fountain Valley department, has a

bachelor’s degree in political science from Cal State Fullerton.

The degree should help him in his new position, which will involve

some politics.

“As captain, Sorrell will be overseeing half the department, meaning

he will be responsible for supervision of detectives, dispatch and the

records bureau.” said Sgt. Jim Perry, a spokesman for the department.

“It’s his responsibility to make sure that things are done in the most

efficient manner.”

Perry said Sorrell will also be responsible for ensuring the

department stays on target with its $9.6-million annual budget.

Sorrell said he’s up to the challenges of the new position, which

represents years of hard work.

“My primary focus is to learn the new job and do the very best that I

can, keep working hard and try to achieve the learning curve and become

the most effective captain that I can,” Sorrell said.

Miali said he has no doubt Sorrell will be a good fit for the

position.

“I’ve seen him grow in the 14 years that I’ve been chief here,” Miali

said. “What I’ve seen is an individual dedicated to the city and the

department, as well as someone who has handled everything I’ve thrown at

him.”