Laguna Beach removes interim tag on police chief Jeff Calvert

Laguna Beach often references the number of visitors that come to the seaside community — estimated to be 6.5 million annually.

Jeff Calvert, who grew up in Orange County and attended Laguna Hills High School, had often found himself among the visitors, or at least that was the case until he began working for the Laguna Beach Police Department.

Since joining the department in 1996, Calvert has risen through the ranks, and he was named the interim police chief of Laguna Beach in May following the sudden departure of Robert Thompson, who had been on the job for a matter of months.

The interim tag was removed for Calvert by Laguna Beach City Manager Shohreh Dupuis on Wednesday, making Calvert the permanent police chief and the 18th person to hold that position in the history of the department.

Jeff Calvert has been appointed the 18th police chief of the Laguna Beach Police Department.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

“I’ve lived in Laguna for the last two years with my wife and daughter and being integrated into the community has changed my viewpoint,” Calvert said by email. “I have a vested interest to ensure we provide exceptional service, and I’m never off duty being a community member.”

Calvert will earn an annual base salary of $215,452, Dupuis said. The city did not conduct a search for outside candidates before appointing Calvert as its police chief.

Although that process differed from police chief hires of the past, proponents of the decision valued Calvert’s experience with the department and his connection to the community.

“Chief Calvert has provided stability and leadership for the Laguna Beach Police Department throughout a time of transition, is clearly qualified and remained the top internal candidate during past recruitments,” Dupuis said in a statement.

“He is highly regarded within the Laguna Beach Police Department, and over the last 25 years, he has earned the trust and respect of our community. Appointing Chief Calvert ensures continuity of service and safety for residents and visitors, and also internal stability for the Laguna Beach Police Department.”

Mayor Bob Whalen said Calvert had strong support from former police chief Laura Farinella, adding that he showed initiative on a variety of efforts, including loud vehicle enforcement.

“Jeff shows initiative, and he shows strong capability to get things done, good relationships with other law enforcement agencies in the county, which I think is important,” Whalen said in a phone interview on Thursday. “All those factors, to me, underscore that he is ready, and he is a good choice.”

Newly-appointed Laguna Beach Police Chief Jeff Calvert has been with the department since 1996.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

Looking back on how he got involved in law enforcement, Calvert said his direction was clear after he had a 15-minute conversation with an Orange County sheriff’s deputy at a career day event his senior year of high school.

At the first opportunity, he checked to see if the Laguna Beach Police Department was hiring. It was not.

He served as a reserve deputy sheriff on patrol in Norwalk for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department as a start. He joined the Orange County Sheriff’s Department in 1993, and after three years, he put his hat back in the ring at Laguna Beach.

“I frequently see Chief Neil Purcell eating downtown and remind him that I was his last hire as a police chief in 1996,” Calvert said.

Calvert’s path has seen him work in undercover narcotics, train new officers, and move up the ladder as a sergeant, lieutenant, captain and now chief. The priorities for Calvert include placing focus on the department’s own personnel, whom he called “our most important asset.”

“The organization has been challenged the last 18 months with COVID-19, the national anti-police sentiment, the recent loss of our K-9, and the changes in leadership at all ranks,” Calvert said.

“My first priority is to turn the organization inward and focus both on the health and well-being of our personnel, leadership development, and succession planning.”

Calvert holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Chapman University, as well as a master’s degree in executive leadership from USC. He also graduated from the FBI National Academy.

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