PASADENA—The City of Pasadena’s largest and most powerful Armenian American public affairs organization is closely following efforts to select a new Chief of Police to replace outgoing chief Bernard Melikian, who left office last year to take a post at the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, DC.
The process of selecting a new Chief of Police has garnered media attention recently when the Pasadena ANC was quoted in the Pasadena Star News last week on the manner in which the city is proceeding to select a new chief. Pasadena City Manager Michael Beck is charged with selecting the new Chief of Police and has created a 16-member panel to help him make the final selection, which is expected in May of this year.
“The Pasadena ANC has a high level of interest in the selection of the new Chief of Police,” remarked Pasadena ANC Executive Director Ishkhan Boghossian. “Public safety is a priority for our organization and the new Chief of Police will play a major role in enhancing the public safety enjoyed by our community, especially young people in our
community,” added Boghossian.
The Pasadena ANC has been participating in a series of public meetings being held to secure community input on the selection of the new Police Chief. Earlier this year, Pasadena ANC activist Donig Donabedian spoke at City Hall before City Manager Michael Beck on the qualities the Armenian American community would like to see in the next Chief of Police. Pasadena ANC activist Vatche Derderian spoke at a community town hall meeting held at the Jackie Robinson Center reiterating the Pasadena ANC’s goal of finding the best candidate for the top law enforcement post in Pasadena.
In the March 12, 2010 edition of the Pasadena Star News a representative of the Pasadena ANC shared disappointment that nobody from the organization is on the Chief of Police selection committee assembled by the City Manager. “We are a long-standing group with a vested interest in public safety,” the Pasadena ANC spokesman was quoted as saying.
The Pasadena ANC advocates for the social, economic, cultural, and political rights of the area’s Armenian American community and promotes increased Armenian American civic participation at the grassroots and public policy levels.
