Paul M. Walters

Chief of Police

Paul M. Walters was appointed Chief of Police for the City of Santa Ana in 1988 after competing in a nationwide search process.  He has over 36 years of varied and specialized police experience with over 25 years of command and leadership responsibilities.  The city of Santa Ana is a diverse community of over 351,000 residents with a daytime population of over 500,000.  It is the ninth largest city in California and the county seat of government for Orange County with a population of over 3 million residents.

As a national innovator and leader in policing, he has trained and assisted numerous police executives and elected officials throughout the country on how to implement revolutionary policing strategies in their respective communities.  He has been recognized many times by the California Attorney General, the Governor of California and both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate for his accomplishments.

He is currently on the Board of Directors for the California Police Chiefs’ Association and serves on the finance and political action committees.  He has been President and Secretary/Treasurer of the Orange County Chiefs and Sheriff’s Association.  The Santa Ana Police Department has been recognized since 1997 as a DOJ National Demonstration Site and Training Center for Community Policing and Problem Solving.

Some of the major accomplishments include:

• Published Article in the Michigan Law Review “Government Entrepreneurship: How COP, Direct Supervision, and a Business Plan Helped to Solve Santa Ana’s Crime Problems”, 2007;
• Commendation from FBI Director Robert Mueller for outstanding assistance to the FBI in connection with its investigative efforts, 2006;
• Santa Ana Police Department cited by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as a national model for the Urban Area Strategic Initiative developed for Orange County, 2005-06;
• Lifetime Leadership award from CALEA (California Association of Law Enforcement Agencies) representing over 60,000 police officers, 2005;
• South Santa Ana Merchants Association Award for commitment, excellence and support of Santa Ana Business Community, 2004;
• Profiled in the July issue of Titan Magazine of California State University Fullerton (CSUF) for innovation and leadership in the field of policing, 2002;
• Selected by the California Games Federation to host the California Police and Fire Summer Games, one of the largest amateur sporting events in the country with over 6,000 competitors, all monetary proceeds are for charities, 2002;
• Selected as the host agency by the Orange County Chiefs and Sheriff’s Association for the California Anti-Terrorism Information Center (CATIC) for Orange County, an interagency statewide task force focusing on developing, investigating and disseminating worldwide terrorism information, 2002;
• Selected to serve as member of the Collaborative Courts Advisory Committee to develop and implement a ”Community Court“ in central Orange County by Presiding Judge Frederick P. Horn, 2002;
• Proclamation by Downtown Business Leaders for support of business growth and police safety program, Fiesta Marketplace, 2002;
• Award certificate from the Orange County Board of Supervisors for recognition of “Operation Orion Team” innovative policing project, targeting gang crime, 2001;
• Recognized by the Southern California Juvenile Officers Association for commitment to the Youth of California working together for a safer school climate, 2001;
• Finalist, the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Community Policing Award for Initiative, Partnerships, Creativity and Solutions for cities over 250,000 population, 2000;
• Finalist for the James Q. Wilson Award for Community Policing Excellence, 2000;
• Director’s Award from the Federal Bureau of Investigation for exceptional public service and leadership, 1999;
• Recognized by Attorney General Bill Lockyer for reduction, improvement in the quality of police services, prevention of crime and innovative leadership, 1999;
• Spurgeon Award for community leadership by the Boy Scouts of America, 1999 and elected to Board of Directors, 2000;
• National League of Cities, award for excellence in Community Policing, 1998;
• Selected by the Editors of Orange County Metro Business Magazine as one of the “Hottest 25 People in Orange County” who are creative forces within their respective fields in 1998;
• Commended by Superior Court Presiding Judge Kathleen E. O’Leary for developing and implementing Drug Courts in Santa Ana, 1998;
• Selected by the Tomas Rivera Policy Institute as an example of “Community Policing: Successful partnership in the prevention of crime in Latino communities,” 1998;
• Award and recognition from Telemax Entertainment for support of the TV program “PLACAS” to bridge the gap of understanding and cooperation between law enforcement and the Hispanic communities around the globe, 1998;
• Recognized by the U.S. Department of Justice as a Model Police Agency and National Demonstration and Training Center for its successful strategies (only one of three in California and one of twenty selected nationwide), 1997.