(LTR: Lieutenant Burford, Ellis, LeBaron, and Schirmer)
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Long Beach Police Chief Robert Luna has selected Lieutenant Ty Burford, a 24-year veteran of the Police Department, Lieutenant Chad Ellis, a 24-year veteran of the Police Department, Ryan LeBaron, a 20-year veteran of the Police Department, and Greg Schirmer, a 22-year veteran of the Police Department for promotion to the rank of Commander.
Lieutenant Ty Burford began his career with the City of Long Beach as an 18-year-old in the Parks, Recreation, and Marine Department. He became a police officer in 1996 and was promoted to sergeant in 2012, and lieutenant in 2017. Lieutenant Burford held various assignments throughout his career, including Community Policing, Juvenile Investigations, Internal Affairs, Support Bureau Office, and worked in all patrol divisions in multiple ranks.
Lieutenant Burford was most recently assigned to the Special Investigations Division as the Gang and Violent Crimes Lieutenant since 2018. He is a proud graduate of Long Beach Polytechnic High School, where he currently coaches football focusing on mentorship and student-athlete development. Lieutenant Burford was also instrumental in the coordination of our first-ever Community Police Academy, which was specially hosted for local area high school athletes. He is a graduate of the Sherman Block Supervisory Leadership Institute, USC’s Delinquency Control Institute, and Leadership Long Beach Class of 2013.
Lieutenant Chad Ellis began his career with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department in 1995 and transferred l to the Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) in 1996 as a police officer. He was promoted to sergeant in 2003 and lieutenant in 2018.
Lieutenant Ellis has worked a variety of assignments throughout his career, including Patrol, Field Training Officer, Gang Investigations, Special Weapons, and Tactics Team (S.W.A.T), Port Police, Internal Affairs, and Drug Investigations. He holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English from Point Loma Nazarene University, San Diego. Lieutenant Ellis is currently enrolled in the Leadership Long Beach Executive Leadership Class of 2020 and is active in the Long Beach community.
Lieutenant Ryan LeBaron began his career with the LBPD as a recruit in 2000. He promoted to sergeant in 2010 and lieutenant in 2016. Lieutenant LeBaron has worked a variety of assignments including Patrol, Field Training Officer, Community Policing, Hostage Negotiator, Special Weapons and Tactics (S.W.A.T.), Gang Enforcement Section, Advanced Officer Training, Information Technology Section, and Fleet Coordinator. He served as part of the All-Hazards Incident Management Team and most recently was assigned as the Lieutenant of the Criminal Intelligence Section.
Lieutenant LeBaron is fluent in Spanish and holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from Brigham Young University, Idaho, and is a graduate of the Sherman Block Leadership Institute, the P.O.S.T. Management Course, and is currently enrolled in the Leadership Long Beach Executive Leadership Class of 2020. Commander LeBaron currently serves as a council member for the Special Olympics of Southern California Law Enforcement Torch Run.
Lieutenant Gregory Schirmer began his career at the LBPD as a police recruit in 1998. He was promoted to sergeant in 2007 and lieutenant in 2015. Lieutenant Schirmer has held assignments as Bicycle Patrol Officer, Community Policing Officer, Public Information Officer, Financial Crimes Detective, Underwater Dive Team Officer, Investigation Bureau Administrative Sergeant, Basic Recruit Academy Sergeant, and Watch Commander. He most recently served as the Special Victims Section lieutenant and teaches various Basic Recruit Academy courses on topics ranging from racial profiling to criminal law.
Lieutenant Schirmer holds a Bachelor of Arts from the California State University, Fullerton, and a Masters of Arts in Public Administration from the California State University, Long Beach. He also represents the LBPD on the board of the non-profit, Better Learning for All Students Today, and sits on the steering committee for the Long Beach Trauma Recovery Center.
Promotions to the ranks of lieutenant and sergeant are as follow:
LIEUTENANTS:
Ryan Watson
Robert Titus
Eric Fernandez
Eric Hooker
Aaron Alu
SERGEANTS:
Brad Stein
Michael Ogden
Juan Ortiz-Ferrer
Michael Demarco
Jennifer Arzola
William Kift
As a result of these recent promotions, there will be a limited commander rotation. Effective September 12, 2020, commander assignments will be as follows:
OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF POLICE
Chief of Staff—Commander Dina Zapalski
INVESTIGATIONS BUREAU
Detective Division—Commander Ryan LeBaron
Special Investigations Division—Commander Donald Mauk
PATROL BUREAU
East Division—Commander Patrick O’Dowd
North Division—Commander Anthony Lopez
West Division—Commander Ty Burford
South Division—Commander Jeffrey Liberman
Field Support Division—Commander Jeffrey Berkenkamp
SUPPORT BUREAU
Port Police Division—Commander Gregory Schirmer
Security Services Division—Commander Gerardo Prieto
Training Division—Commander Melvin McGuire
Jail Division—Commander Michael Pennino
A date for a future promotion ceremony to celebrate their accomplishments is still to be determined.