SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — El Cajon will soon be selecting its next police chief.
After five years on the job, the city’s top police officer has announced his retirement.
Chief Mike Moulton began his police career in El Cajon in 1995.
“It’s been a really great experience. I never thought about being a police chief when I started my career or even halfway through my career. I never thought about being a police chief,” Moulton said.
Chief Moulton was hired as the city’s 15th police chief in 2019.
The pandemic began soon after, followed by nationwide protests over the killing of George Floyd, highlighting people’s distrust of police.
“You know, it’s been a toughest time for law enforcement. What’s interesting about the riots we’ve experienced in 2020 is they were even more significant for law enforcement than the riots of the ’60s. The riots of the ’60s were very much anti-government, anti-establishment riots. The riots that have occurred in 2020-2021 have been anti-police riots,” Moulton said.
Chief Moulton said both periods presented challenges that the police department is still recovering from.
Still, he’s proud of how those issues have been handled and the progress that has been made so far.
For example, police recruitment has fallen dramatically but is slowly recovering.
Currently, nine of the 136 police officers’ posts are vacant.
Chief Moulton also prioritizes transparency and engagement with the public.
“People ask me if I would change anything, if I’ve ever made a mistake, and I say I make one a week, but I’m a big believer in constant learning and you learn more from your failures than your successes,” Moulton said.
These success stories include automatic license plate reading programs being used to recover stolen vehicles and drones improving response times and safety during major incidents.
Chief Moulton said technology is key and he hopes the next chief will continue to push for these enhancements.
His retirement is scheduled for December 30. His successor has not yet been selected.
He doesn’t know what will happen next.
Moulton plans to remain in East County, where he’s from, and told CBS 8 he’s leaving his position confident that the El Cajon community will continue to be in good hands.
“I’m grateful for their support over the years. They are one of the finest police departments in the country and the finest people there want to serve them and serve them to the best of their ability,” Moulton said.
Watch related video: Meet the El Cajon Police Chief (May 31, 2024)
