View 2010 Annual Report (PDF)

Chief's Message

It is my pleasure to provide you with the 2010 Annual Report for the Garden Grove Police Department.

First, I would like to thank Chief Joseph Polisar for his 13 years of dedicated service to both the Garden Grove Police Department and the residents of Garden Grove. Chief Polisar retired in 2010 after 34 years in law enforcement, and his leadership will always be remembered here. His influence on law enforcement also extends to the international level, due to his long-standing commitment to the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP).

2010 was a very challenging year for all members of the Garden Grove Police Department. The continuing economic recession necessitated, yet again, citywide reductions in personnel, and Police Department staffing levels were greatly impacted. Despite the significant staffing reductions, all members of the Police Department continued to provide quality law enforcement services to the community, without reducing service levels. Even during this challenging time, the Department maintained high levels of professionalism and delivered quality service. This, in addition to maintaining compliance with nationally recognized standards, earned the Garden Grove Police Department its seventh Accreditation Award from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) in April. The Department was further distinguished as a CALEA Flagship Agency, a designation earned by only the top 5% of accredited agencies.

During 2010, the Police Department implemented “Problem Solving Policing.” Under the existing Community Policing philosophy, and utilizing state of the art Crime Analysis data, Department personnel were tasked with identifying existing crime trends and then working collaboratively to reduce or eliminate the impact these crime trends had on the community. I am very pleased to say the efforts resulted in significant reductions in the identified crime trends, as well as the arrests of many repeat offenders. Members of the Department also established residential and commercial “watch” groups as a long-term strategy designed to reduce crime in the impacted areas. The Police Department will continue to utilize the latest available technology to enhance our service to the community. We also remain committed to developing strong partnerships and to collaborate with community members in order to keep Garden Grove a safe and enjoyable city in which to live and work.

Kevin J. Raney
Chief of Police