'I've Led With Love': Hermosa Beach Police Chief Retires

HERMOSA BEACH, CA — Hermosa Beach Police Department Chief Paul LeBaron wanted to be a police officer for as long as he could remember, but as he hung up his cuffs for good Monday, it was one particular moment in his 32-year law enforcement career that stood out as the greatest of them all.

After the announcement of his retirement, LeBaron took some time to speak with Patch and reflect on what his career has meant to him and how he hopes he'll be remembered.

"I'm overwhelmingly blessed," said LeBaron, who spent 5 out of his 32-year career at the helm of the Hermosa Beach Police Department. "My experiences were so transformative (in Hermosa Beach)," I'll never be the same person after my time here."

Written In The Stars

LeBaron knew he always wanted to work in law enforcement.

Maybe it was the car chases on "The Dukes of Hazzard," or the ride-along he took with the Costa Mesa Police Department when he was 12, but he never wavered on his dream.

"When you're a little kid, people often ask the question: 'What do you want to do when you grow up?'" LeBaron said.

His answer was always the same — a police officer.

"The difference between me and many kids is that I never stopped saying it," LeBaron said. "I lived my life in a way to prepare myself."

In the wake of the 1992 Los Angeles riots, LeBaron drove to Long Beach City Hall to apply to the academy.

LeBaron drove past several buildings still smoldering, he said, giving him a reality check of what he was signing up for.

But his dream was put on hold for a short while as LeBaron left college to live in South America for a few years. There, LeBaron said, he immersed himself in the culture and learned to speak fluent Spanish — a skill that would help him later in his career.

When he returned to the United States, LeBaron resumed college and set himself back on course to become a police officer.

He was accepted into the Long Beach Police Department and worked while finishing his studies at Santa Ana College and Cal State Long Beach. At some point, he had the opportunity to train at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia.

"I was appreciative of the chance Long Beach gave me," LeBaron said. "I was going to give them everything I could in return."

Long Beach PD

While working in Long Beach, LeBaron was an optimistic officer. Oftentimes he thought about how his work could change the world, he said.

"But the likelihood of (an officer) changing the world for the better is low," LeBaron said. "The likelihood of changing it for the worse is easier as one action can have a negative effect."

LeBaron said his experiences soon taught him that although he can't change the world by himself, he can change someone's world by doing the right thing.

LeBaron was working the graveyard shift early in his career as a Long Beach police officer when he arrested a woman on suspicion of prostitution and possession of drugs.

As he drove her down to the station, he recalls telling her, "You're better than this, I know you can do better than this."

LeBaron didn't know it at the time, but those words would change the woman's life.

She served her sentence and thanked LeBaron. Every year thereafter, around Christmas, LeBaron would get a card from the woman. One year, she got sober; the next, she secured permanent housing; then she got married and started a new career.

"I don't know why, but that landed on her in a very powerful way," LeBaron told Patch. "It was absolutely one of the greatest moments of my career."

From that moment on, LeBaron realized that as an officer, he had the opportunity to change someone's life for the better with every interaction.

That's how LeBaron says he approached his job in law enforcement every day. Whether it was as a patrol officer, lieutenant or police chief, all he wanted to do was lead well and help people.

During his LBPD tenure, LeBaron did it all. He worked as a beat officer, field training officer, detective, sergeant, lieutenant, division commander, chief of staff and at the port working closely with federal, state and local agencies.

"I felt it was very important to create a foundation that helped me lead at the next level," he said.

Hermosa Beach PD

LeBaron said he was considering retirement before Hermosa Beach City Manager Suja Lowenthal suggested he apply for the city's police chief opening.

LeBaron said he had previously worked with Lowenthal when she was an elected official in Long Beach. He trusted her judgment, and he'd always wanted the opportunity to work in a smaller department, LeBaron said.

"I never wanted to be in a situation where I wanted to be careful about what I said or did because I needed to protect my job," LeBaron said.

LeBaron was appointed as Hermosa Beach police chief in April 2020, just as the COVID-19 pandemic began and about a month before the George Floyd protests.

"I jumped right into the fire, so to speak," LeBaron said. Still, he remained focused on creating a "culture of excellence" within his department.

LeBaron feels he accomplished that in his five years as police chief.

"HBPD is fully staffed and that's not something every police department in the country can say. We have a 100% retention rate, we have a waitlist of people who want to work in our department," LeBaron said. "That's a good indication that the culture is strong."

LeBaron credits his father, a professional boxer and insurance salesman, for instilling the values that have helped him suceed throughout his career.

"My dad was one of the hardest workers I've ever known," LeBaron said. "I try to honor him every day with the way I did stuff."

LeBaron said he feels now is a good time to retire and that the city is in good hands with Landon Phillips being appointed the next police chief.

"I think it's best to go now when things are going well," LeBaron said. "What we need now is a chief that can bring stability and long-term focus and that is what Chief Phillips can do."

Retirement

As LeBaron takes on his next challenge — retirement — he still wants to put his experience and knowledge to "any opportunity that allows him to serve with passion and make a difference."

But his main concern from here on out is his family, LeBaron said.

LeBaron just became a grandfather for the second time, a milestone that shaped his decision to retire.

Now that his family is growing, he finds it more difficult to give 100 percent mentally, physically and emotionally to the police department, city leaders and residents of Hermosa Beach, LeBaron said.

And he's always been prideful about his commitment to the people he serves, LeBaron said.

"That's not fair to them," LeBaron said. "It's not that I lost the passion. I love them enough to know that I can't dedicate what they need in order to serve them."

Still, LeBaron hopes to remain a fixture in the community he once served so proudly.

He has a soccer tournament in Mira Costa in May and will be taking on the Hermosa Beach triathlon in August. Aside from that, he hopes to travel a lot with his wife and attend soccer games across Europe and South America.

"My hardest day was my last day on the job. It pushed me to my limits and allowed me to grow," LeBaron said. "I've led well, I've led with love."

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