National City approved its new police chief Tuesday, nominating a lifelong city resident who has been with the department since he was in high school.
Chief Alejandro Hernandez was approved unanimously by the City Council, with councilmembers praising his work thus far as interim chief since former Chief Jose Tellez stepped down from the top cop job in December. Tellez himself grew up in San Diego and had joined the department after graduating from San Diego State University 35 years ago.
“I’ve been here in the city for a long time, and this is a dream come true,” Hernandez said after he was approved by the council. He later added: “I look forward to our future. It’s a great future and there’s a lot of work.”
National City Police Chief Alejandro “Alex” Hernandez
(Courtesy of National City)
Last month, Tellez highlighted Hernandez’s career and experience in the city, saying that Hernandez had begun as an explorer — a police cadet program for high schoolers and older — at 16 years old. After he joined the department officially, Hernandez served as a school resource officer before moving up through the ranks over his two-decade-long career.
“Personally, I’m really proud because, for those who don’t know, Alex was my school resource officer when I was at Granger Junior High School,” said Councilmember Marcus Bush. “And to see someone start at the bottom as a school resource officer, serve 20 years here and make it to the top … it’s an incredible story.”
The councilmember said he was excited for the new chief’s ideas, which include working toward further embracing the community’s identity, ensuring the department is fully staffed and using grant programs and other resources to rethink public safety.
Bush was joined by other councilmembers in praising the city for recruiting and supporting homegrown talent, saying those types of employees have a strong connection to the community.
“I love that you’re constantly thinking of your officers, how they can have upward mobility,” said Councilmember Jose Rodriguez. “(And) seeing how people can move around so our officers and public servants are bilingual, which is critical to serving our population.”
Councilmembers approved a three-year contract with two one-year options to extend, for an annual base salary of $246,868.
