Police Chief Forum Recap
November 29, 2018 - 11:37 AM
Three men vying to be Mt. San Antonio College’s next police chief faced questions about racial profiling, use of force, community policing and the establishment of an on-campus police department during an open forum on Wednesday.
The finalists for the post are:
- David Hendricks, an experienced public safety professional with a long history at the Long Beach Police Department
- Eric Hopley, the senior manager of corporate security for Southern California Edison and a former police chief of the Ontario Police Department
- Robert Wren, deputy chief at Mt. San Antonio College with a long history at the Orange County Sheriff's Department
The Police and Campus Safety chief of police position was opened after Dave Wilson retired in May. Following Wilson’s retirement, retired Los Angeles Police Department commander Mike Williams served as interim police chief. He did not apply for the Mt. SAC position.
Hendricks spent a majority of his law enforcement career with the Long Beach Police Department, where he started as a patrol officer and rose through the ranks to become deputy chief. More recently he served as chief at another law enforcement agency.
Hopley began his law enforcement career in 1983 in Upland and later joined the Ontario Police Department. There he served in many roles, rising to the rank of police chief. Since his retirement from Ontario, he has worked at Southern California Edison as a senior manager of corporate security.
Wren has served as Mt. SAC’s deputy chief for nearly four years, during which time he has managed the day-to-day operations, including training staff. He has conducted multiple active shooter trainings throughout the campus. Previous to Mt. SAC, Wren served with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department for 28 years.
The forum was livestreamed and remains available for viewing online at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTVBdSr6-DU.
Candidates were asked a set of the same prepared questions as well as randomly selected questions submitted by students, staff and faculty.
Feedback on the candidates is encouraged and should be submitted by 3 p.m. Dec. 3.
