Adams retires from force

One day after officially retiring after 32 years as a Laguna Beach police officer, Capt. Danell Adams rode her Peruvian Paso in the Rose Parade.

Adams says her horse “high-stepped” it all the way down Colorado Boulevard.

Adams, 55, may be retiring but, like her show horse, is not going out to pasture.

She took a four-month medical leave in August to try to improve her chronic high blood pressure, but instead of coming back to work, the department announced Dec. 31 that the veteran officer would retire from the department.

“This was not in my plans,” she said of retirement. “It’s a high-stress job and it took its toll. My cardiologist said I couldn’t take it.”

Instead, Adams will teach a course in crisis communications at UCI, and work on her small Fallbrook ranch, where one of her mares is expecting a foal in June.

The announcement shocked and saddened the department where she had risen through the ranks over three decades, logging some notable “firsts” along the way — including that of first woman motorcycle officer in the county and first woman patrol officer in the city — and attaining the rank of captain.

A successor is expected to be announced within 90 days, according to Police Chief Mike Sellers.

Adams’ career and accomplishments are legend in Laguna Beach.

The Laguna Beach High School graduate and “Best Female Athlete of the Year” began her career in law enforcement on the beach patrol in 1975.

Law enforcement was the farthest thing from her mind at the time, she says.

“I was a teacher, and I was not especially attracted to police work,” she said. “I was more of a part of the Berkeley free speech movement of the day.”

She started out on the beach patrol, which is not a sworn police position, and after two years enrolled in the police academy, at a time when few women were pursuing law enforcement careers.

Her athleticism — she lettered in all the high school sports she played — helped her sail through the rigorous academy, and she even broke the academy’s sit-up record by performing 1,800 crunches during 3 1/2 hours.

Her competitiveness will be put to good use during the next year, when she plans to show her horses at many equestrian events.

Adams’ storied career in Laguna is already being remembered as a watershed for the department.

Adams held both management and command assignments in the department as commander of both the investigations and support services divisions.

“Her work has assured our department’s success in future years,” Sellers said in a press statement.

“She worked her way up from reserve officer to captain, something that is rarely accomplished in our business.”

A graduate of Laguna Beach High School, Adams attended OCC before graduating from Cal State Long Beach with a degree in physical education.

While serving on the police force, she continued with her formal education, earning a Master of Science degree in criminal justice.

She then went on to attend the FBI National Academy and the California Command College, both highly regarded within the law enforcement community, according to Sellers.

Adams has a noted ability to project calmness under pressure, which was put to good use in Laguna time and again.

“Danell did a tremendous job for the city during some of our scarier times,” said City Manager Ken Frank.

“I remember during the Bluebird Canyon landslide two years ago she became the face of Laguna Beach on the evening news.

“We were fortunate to get Danell to join our police force in 1975 when many other police departments were aggressively recruiting from a competitive candidate pool. She proved to be the right person at the right time — and the rest is history. We owe a great deal to her for helping us get where we are today,” Frank said.

Plans for a retirement reception are being made.