City names interim cops chief

Costa Mesa City Manager Allan Roeder on Thursday named former La Habra Police Chief Steven H. Staveley as the city’s interim police chief.

Costa Mesa Police Chief John Hensley retires June 30. Staveley will lead the department while a recruiting firm looks for a permanent replacement. Roeder chose him after interviewing five candidates. Staveley will not be in the running for the permanent job.

Staveley will begin July 1 and is expected to serve for three to four months. Roeder said Staveley has agreed to stay longer if necessary. The interim chief will be paid $12,055 per month.

Staveley is out of town and could not be reached Thursday.

With more than 35 years of law enforcement experience, Staveley has worked for the Buena Park, Belmont and La Habra police departments, Roeder said. He directed the state Department of Justice’s law enforcement division from 1999 to 2001, and most recently he acted as interim chief for the Burbank airport police.

Roeder said Staveley also has a broad background that includes work with community groups such as the Kiwanis and the Boys and Girls Club in Anaheim, where he lives.

The city’s fourth police chief, Hensley, was hired in 2003. His job was a tough one, replacing a chief who had been with the department 17 years, and the changes he made were not always popular.

Then came the council’s decision last December to train police for immigration enforcement. Hensley immediately had to shoulder the weight of explaining the program to a sometimes angry and fearful community, and he silently took barbs from critics.

When he announced his retirement, he said it was not because of the immigration plan ? he simply didn’t think he could move the department forward any longer.

There were rumors of strife in the department and criticisms of Hensley’s management, but council members praised his accomplishments at a meeting this week.

He reduced department spending by cutting overtime costs, and he strengthened the community policing program, Councilwoman Linda Dixon said Tuesday.

“I think it’s a sad day for Costa Mesa that we’re losing Chief Hensley,” she said.

City officials have said they don’t think the controversial immigration enforcement plan will discourage people from seeking the chief’s job. The recruiting firm has interviewed council members and police employees about what they want in a new chief, and they’re preparing to accept applications, Roeder said.

“I’m not at all concerned about us getting a very good crop of very, very well-qualified candidates for the position,” Roeder said.