Costa Mesa Police Sgt. James “Jimmy” Brown received the City Manager Leadership Award at the employee Meet and Greet event on Thursday Dec. 6.

“Costa Mesa is blessed to have dedicated and skilled members of our Police Department like Sgt. Brown who go above and beyond the call to protect residents and neighborhoods,” Acting City Manager Tammy Letourneau said. “He and his gang enforcement team are saving lives daily and for that we are truly grateful.”

Throughout 2018, Sgt. Brown has been assigned to the department’s Gang Enforcement Unit and he has led his team to consistently carry out innovative and proactive enforcement and gang investigations. His team has aggressively collaborated with various outside agencies, such as State Parole and the Orange County Probation Department, with local and neighboring enforcement sweeps.

His team’s hallmark has also been to be continuously available to augment or support efforts by CMPD’s Patrol Division, SIU (Special Investigative Unit) and Detective Bureaus, as well as, on occasion, federal agencies such as ATF (Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms) and HSI (Homeland Security Investigations) Bureaus.

He also facilitated CMPD’s full partnership with the Orange County District Attorney’s Office’s renowned OC GRIP (Gang Reduction and Intervention Partnership) program. OC GRIP serves to foster a collaborative, community-based approach to gang reduction and is unique from all other anti- gang efforts in the country.

To date, Brown’s Gang Unit has made 660 arrests, with nearly one-half of those involving felony criminal violations. They have made over 2,800 gang contacts, served 70 search warrants, and seized over a dozen illegal firearms from gang members and gang associates. Brown also oversees the department’s School Resource Officer program, which is based out of both Estancia and Costa Mesa High Schools.

Brown joined the Costa Mesa Family in July, 2005 as a Police Officer and worked in the Patrol Division until February of 2007 when he was assigned as a gang investigator, a role he maintained until January 2013.

It was in that role that he developed expertise in gangs with five other gang Investigators, working alongside the Orange County District Attorney’s Tri-Agency Resource Gang Enforcement unit.

In addition to his work with gangs, Brown is an Arrest and Control Tactics Instructor, and a negotiator on the department’s Crisis Negotiations and Peer Support Team. He has remained actively involved in both roles, and currently serves as one of two Arrest and Control Tactics Supervisors who oversee the department’s 10-person ACT instructor team.

He has also worked as a Field Training Officer in the Patrol Division and as a patrol sergeant.

In addition to honoring Brown, Letourneau welcomed several new employees and congratulated others for promotions and retirements.

In Development Services, Ann Le is a new Intern working in the Planning Division and Ariana Miller is a new Permit Processing Specialist working in our Building Division. Ariana is currently enrolled at Cal State Northridge and is working towards a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting.

In Parks & Community Services, Christian Becerra is a new Recreation Leader III assigned to the Senior Center. Assigned to the ROCKS program are Victoria Albers a new Recreation Leader II, Louis Garcia a new Recreation Leader I, Sheila Gonzalez a new Recreation Leader I and Bryan Sanchez a new Recreation Leader II.

Also announced was Amir Adalan is a new Lifeguard, assigned to the Downtown Recreation Center.

Bryan is also a graduate of Estancia High School (Go Eagles!), and is currently enrolled at Irvine

Zar Ni Heim is a new Intern working in the Public Services Department in the Transportation Division.

Those receiving promotions include:  Jessica Ochoa who has been promoted to a Recreation Leader III assigned to our Balearic Center, and Jose Gutierrez and Emilio Soto who have both been promoted to Construction Inspector in Public Services.

Letourneau also recognized Associate Engineer Larry Dreiman who is retiring after 19 years with the city and Costa Mesa Fire Battalion Chief Kevin Diamond who started his career with Costa Mesa in 1989.