SANTA MONICA—Alfonso Venegas, a 23-year veteran of the Santa Monica Police Department, has been appointed as deputy chief by Police Chief Timothy Jackman.
The position makes Venegas, 47, the department’s second in command. Venegas was officially appointed the position on January 11, after acting as deputy chief for the last six months when previous Deputy Police Chief Phillip Sanchez left the department to become chief of police in Pasadena.
As second in command, Venegas will be in charge of the department’s daily operations.
Venegas was previously the department’s office of operations since 2007. He had been promoted to police lieutenant in 2002 and police sergeant in 1997. The divisions Venegas has overseen include the Night Watch Patrol Division and the Internal Affairs Division. Before joining SMPD, he served in the United States Marine Corps for seven years and was discharged at the rank of sergeant. His field operations experience includes the Crime Impact Team, the Metro Anti Crimes Unit, and Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT).
Venegas also serves on several social service organizations such as the American Diabetes Association and Step Up on Second. He also holds a B.A. from Mount St. Mary’s College in English Literature and is working on his Masters Degree in Criminology from the University of California at Irvine.
