Snowden chief in Beverly Hills

Deepa Bharath

Dave Snowden is not done being chief yet.

On Jan. 5, the man who retired after leading Costa Mesa’s police

department for 16 years, will take over as the interim police chief

for the city of Beverly Hills.

It’s going to be quite a commute from Newport Beach. But Snowden

said he is up to the drive and the challenge the job itself presents.

“Beverly Hills and Costa Mesa have a lot in common,” he said.

“They both have some high-end shopping. We have South Coast Plaza

here and they have Rodeo Drive. The two cities are also very similar

in size.”

Snowden, who retired in June, was replaced by John Hensley, who

came to the city from Cypress. After his retirement, Snowden started

his own Costa Mesa-based company, Pendragon LLC, which offers

business development and security advice, as well as private

investigation brokerage to people and businesses.

Snowden said the opportunity was unexpected.

“I got a call from a recruiter earlier this week if I would be

interested in this position,” he said. “I said ‘yes.’ I had an

interview set up on Wednesday, and [on Thursday] I got a call saying

I was selected for the job.”

He’s looking forward to getting started, Snowden said.

“It’s a nice challenge,” he said. “The salary is good. I don’t

miss being chief. I just view this as an interesting assignment.”

Snowden said his job in Beverly Hills, which he expects to last up

to six months, would be to head the department until the new chief

arrives.

“I’d have to keep the ship in course until they select a new

police chief,” he said. “It’s a very well-run police department.”

The city’s new chief will replace Marvin Iannone, who retired

after serving as police chief for the last 18 years. Beverly Hills

also named a new city manager this week.

Beverly Hills Mayor Thomas Levyn said his city would extend a warm

welcome to Snowden. He said Snowden was selected by interim City

Manager Dan Webster.

“Public safety is our No. 1 priority,” he said. “I have faith in

Dan Webster’s choice, and I’m confident [Snowden] will work with all

our officers to make sure our city runs smoothly.”

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

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