Ray Sweeney

LA MESA OVERALL CRIME RATES REMAIN THE SAME, WHILE VIOLENT CRIME DROPS

By Michael Howard
 
Photos courtesy: City of La Mesa. Left: La Mesa Police Department Chief of Police Ray Sweeney address the La Mesa City Council on May 28, 2024. 
 
June 23, 2024 (La Mesa, CA) – La Mesa Police Chief Ray Sweeney reported mixed crime results in his first quarter 2024 crime report to the La Mesa City Council during the May 28 city council meeting.
 
“We had a slight dip in violent crime, property crime did go up a little bit, and then, the FBI total index is exactly the same as it was this time last year,” the chief reported to the council members.
 
By slight dip in violent crime, the chief was referring to a 17.5% decrease in 2024 first quarter homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assaults compared to the same time period last year.  In Q1 2023, the La Mesa Police Department responded to 57 crimes in this category, while in Q1 2024, they only responded to 47.

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MEET THE CHIEF: LA MESA POLICE HOST FIRST OF FOUR COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS THURSDAY, JULY 29

By Miriam Raftery

July 27, 2021 (La Mesa) – The La Mesa Police Department has announced a series of four town halls for residents to meet newly appointed Police Chief Ray Sweeney and police staff. Each two-hour discussion is described as a community conversation and listening session.

The sessions, all on Thursdays from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., are:

July 29           Rolando Elementary School

August 5  Lemon Avenue Elementary School

August 12  Maryland Avenue Elementary School

August 19  Northmont Elementary School


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LA MESA CHOOSES RAY SWEENEY AS NEW POLICE CHIEF

By Alexa Oslowski

Photo: Chief Ray Sweeney, via City of La Mesa

July 10, 2021 (La Mesa) - La Mesa announced on July 1 that Captain Ray Sweeney will serve as the new La Mesa Police Chief, effective immediately. The selection was made by City Manager Greg Humora. Sweeney has served as a Captain in La Mesa Police since 2015 and has previously served in the United States Army and the Army National Guard.

“After a comprehensive and thorough recruitment process, I am confident Ray Sweeney is the leader we need to advance our Police Department and sustain our professionalism and focus on best practices to deliver for our community. The La Mesa Community will benefit from his immediate familiarity with our City and Police Department while also leveraging his strong character and clear vision for effective community policing,” City Manager Humora said in the press release.

This appointment comes almost a year after former La Mesa Police Chief Walt Vasquez announced his retirement would start in August 2020, just months after La Mesa’s controversial stops of Amaurie Johnson and racial justice protests that turned into riots in May 2020.


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MANY NEW CHANGES IN LA MESA POLICE DEPARTMENT STAFF

 
January 7, 2012 (La Mesa) -- In the past three months the La Mesa Police Department management team has gone through many new changes.  With Chief Lanning’s retirement in September of 2011 and Captain Medero’s retirement in December 2011, seven promotions of existing LMPD staff were made in 2011 to consist of a new Chief of Police, two new captains, two new lieutenants and two new sergeants.

 


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