by Ryan Walker
Public information officer
Hermosa Beach
Hermosa Beach Police Chief Paul LeBaron was named recipient of the California Police Chiefs Association’s (CPCA) 2024 Joseph T. Molloy Award during the Installation Banquet of the organization’s 47th Annual Training Symposium on Tuesday, May 21.
The award is named in memory of former Anaheim Police Chief Joseph T. Molloy, who is credited with modernizing the Anaheim department with martial arts training for its officers, and an emphasis on community policing. LeBaron has also focused on modernizing his department with data-based policing, and has introduced martial arts training for his officers.
The award recognizes one police chief each year for “exemplary professionalism, leadership, vigor, and unwavering dedication to the association’s mission.” The CPCA represents the state’s municipal police chiefs, whose agencies provide public safety for more than 30 million Californians.
“Receiving the Joseph T. Molloy Award is a profound honor; one that I accept with deep gratitude and humility,” Police Chief LeBaron. “This recognition is a testament to the commitment and sacrifice of every HBPD employee, and every Chief of Police I have the pleasure of working with.”
Since Chief LeBaron was hired by City Manager Suja Lowenthal in April of 2020, he has been instrumental in establishing the Hermosa Beach Police Department as a model for community, inclusivity and innovative policing. Chief LeBaron is also a frequent visitor to local schools, where he has discussed the danger of fentanyl and other drugs. He is currently helping develop the City’s Real-Time Crime Center.
“Chief LeBaron’s contributions to department culture and his oversight of recruiting and hiring have been key to fully staffing our City’s Police Department and ensuring community safety,” said City Manager Lowenthal.
CPCA President Christopher R. Catren presented Chief LeBaron with the award. Among the many contributions for which he was recognized, Chief LeBaron serves as Committee Chair for the California Peace Officers’ Association’s (CPOA) Law and Legislative Committee, a member of the CPCA’s Organizational Wellness and Resiliency Committee and Co-Chair for the latter organization’s Annual Training Symposium.
He also serves as a member of the Political Action Committee for LA County Chiefs Association and regularly authors articles and delivers presentations on recruitment and retention, first responder marriages and maintaining an effective work-life balance.
Chief LeBaron’s career in law enforcement began at the Long Beach Police Department where he worked for 27 years as Commander of the Port Police Division, and Chief of Staff to the Chief of Police. He currently serves as an adjunct staff member at the Simon Wiesenthal Museum of Tolerance, where he teaches courses in combating bias-based policing and police leadership to command staff across the nation. Chief LeBaron is also an adjunct faculty member at CSU Long Beach, where he teaches courses in criminal justice. ER
