Santa Barbara Police Chief Lori Luhnow will retire in February, she announced Monday, after a 32-year career in law enforcement and about four-and-a-half years leading the city department.
“I have a deep appreciation for the community of Santa Barbara and enormous gratitude for the talented and dedicated employees of the Santa Barbara Police Department,” Luhnow said in a statement.
Luhnow, who was hired in mid-2016, is the city’s first female chief of police. She oversees the department’s 200 sworn and civilian staff members and the $44-million budget.
“Chief Luhnow is a great source of pride for our city,” Mayor Cathy Murillo said in a statement. “She has made a tremendous contribution to creating a culture of community-focused policing through hiring, training, and policy.”
In her years with SBPD, and previous experience in San Diego, Luhnow has advocated for community-oriented policing and included non-police staff members for hiring and internal promotional interview panels.
During her tenure, Luhnow launched a Volunteers in Policing program and the downtown ambassador program, called State Street ambassadors, to boost the presence of law enforcement downtown and reduce calls to the police.
The ambassadors serve as points of contact for business owners, help tourists, report necessary infrastructure repairs to the city, and have referral information for transients and homeless residents on State Street, according to the city.
Luhnow included a full-time public information officer and spokesperson, Anthony Wagner, among her executive staff, and occasionally released her own statements about law enforcement policy and social justice issues.
This summer, as thousands of residents marched and protested for racial justice following the death of George Floyd, she guided the police department response.
On May 31, about 3,000 community members gathered downtown and marched to the police station while carrying signs. Officers lined up around the building were wearing riot gear and carrying shields.
One week later, in a stark contrast, Luhnow’s staff worked directly with organizers of a march and protest.
As Noozhawk reporter Joshua Molina wrote at the time, police officers on motorcycles led the marchers and cleared the street for them, and Luhnow was among the SBPD members attending the rally near City Hall.
In a statement condemning Floyd’s death, Luhnow acknowledged law enforcement’s contribution to the marginalization of disadvantaged groups.
“It is the responsibility of current law enforcement leaders to take measures to prevent those actions from occurring,” she wrote.
“We are first peace officers. That comes with the understanding that we are part of the community, not separate of it,” Luhnow said at one of the protests, announcing that the department is “committed to the development of a citizen review process.”
During her time at SBPD, Luhnow created new officer recruitment strategies to address staffing concerns at the department, according to the city.
Luhnow also created a supervisor position to promote employee wellness and has spoken to national law enforcement audiences on the topic of resiliency and wellness through the Bureau of Justice Assistance VALOR initiative.
Luhnow’s leadership has been recognized with awards from the Santa Barbara Rescue Mission and the Rotary Club of Santa Barbara.
Prior to her service in Santa Barbara, Luhnow served as captain of the San Diego Police Department for 27 years and was responsible for the Regional Police Academy.
When Luhnow retires on Feb. 13, former undersheriff and assistant county executive officer Barney Melekian will serve as interim chief of police until a permanent replacement is hired.
“Public safety has been his calling,” Santa Barbara County Executive Officer Mona Miyasato said of Melekian Monday.
He has worked in Miyasato’s office for two years, and previously worked as undersheriff in the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department, director of the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services in the federal Department of Justice, and as Pasadena police chief.
As an assistant county executive officer, Melekian has overseen certain departments and provided law enforcement and public safety-related insight to policy and program changes.
With news of his departure, “I will be working on next steps and how best to address priorities in the County Executive Office in the coming weeks, including cannabis oversight, and racial equity and the criminal justice system,” Miyasato said.
“We will miss Barney’s professionalism, empathy, knowledge and wit. We wish him all the best as he continues to serve residents on the South Coast.”
— Noozhawk staff writer Jade Martinez-Pogue can be reached at jmartinez-pogue@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
