New chief, Hensley, surveys department

Deepa Bharath

His office had neither furniture nor carpet Monday morning, but Costa

Mesa’s new Police Chief John Hensley was definitely on board.

On his first day as the city’s chief, Hensley arrived bright and

early and spent his first hours on the job walking around the

building meeting his staff.

“They’re not going to come to my office,” he said with a smile.

“So I thought I should walk into their offices and meet with them.”

Over the next few weeks, Hensley said, he will meet with each

police division and get to know the officers.

“When I walked in this morning, I realized my office wasn’t

ready,” he said. “But I did see a pretty big pile of papers and

files.”

Hensley said he then walked over to the watch commander’s office

and spent some time there.

“That office is, after all, the heart and soul of the department,”

he said. “It’s where things happen.”

He said that he later planned to drive around the city to get to

know the communities better.

“I plan to do a lot of that,” said Hensley, who is known for his

expertise in community policing.

Hensley, who was Cypress Police Department’s chief for the past

five years, was selected to succeed Dave Snowden, whose last day on

the job was Friday. Snowden’s retirement party on Saturday night drew

more than 500 people.

Hensley said it would take him at least three months to get

himself up to date with city issues.

He got a start on that learning Monday night when he was sworn in

at the City Council meeting.

“I’ve been treated very well and am very comfortable with the

transition so far,” Hensley said.

Mayor Gary Monahan said he is looking forward to working with

Hensley.

“He’s got some big shoes to fill in Dave Snowden, but everything

about John is fantastic,” Monahan said.

Hensley is only the fourth police chief in Costa Mesa’s 50-year

history. Snowden’s retirement came after 16 years as chief.

Snowden received a retirement plaque and badge at the Monday

council meeting.

* DEEPA BHARATH covers public safety and courts. She may be

reached at (949) 574-4226 or by e-mail at deepa.bharath@latimes.com.

Deirdre Newman contributed to this report.