Santa Maria City Manager Rick Haydon is announcing the appointment of police Commander Phil Hansen as acting chief of police.
Hansen will be in charge of the operation of the Santa Maria Police Department, taking over for Chief Ralph Martin, who is retiring on Friday, June 23.
Hansen has 40 years of law enforcement experience, including the past four years with the Santa Maria Police Department.
He was hired in April 2013 by Martin to help reorganize the department and its operations.
Prior to Santa Maria, he served with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department for 36 years, retiring at the rank of captain.
Hansen is a nationally recognized subject matter expert in the area of law enforcement tactical operations, and has served on several course development committees for the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST).
He was named director emeritus of the National Tactical Officer’s Association.
Hansen holds a bachelor of science degree in business administration from California State University, Northridge, and a master’s degree in leadership from the University of Southern California.
Mark van de Kamp is a management analyst for the city of Santa Maria.