Letty Diaz pinned husband, newly appointed Riverside Police Department Chief Sergio Diaz, with the insignia of his rank during a June 30 ceremony at a public park in the city — and she wasn't the only one expecting the best.
The Cuba-born Diaz took charge of Riverside P.D. after 33 years with the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). He most recently served as a deputy chief in charge of LAPD operations throughout Downtown and surrounding areas, and is credited with playing a key role in restoring morale among officers and trust within the community in the wake of the May Day Melee at MacArthur Park in 2007.
Diaz is the first Latino-American chief of Riverside P.D., and he faces a different challenge as the top cop in the city of more than 300,000 in the Inland Empire region. His predecessor resigned the post after a drunk-driving arrest, leaving community relations and internal operations in need of some repair.
Diaz wasted little time laying out his vision for Riverside P.D. He took the opportunity of his swearing-in address to tell the police officers, elected officials and members of the public who gathering for the event that respect for the community and for the duties that go with the job of law enforcement will be a keystone in his tenure as chief of Riverside P.D.
Photos from the L.A. Garment & Citizen;
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