Former operations lieutenant, Jim Glazar, has been named as the new captain of the Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station.
Glazar, who has been acting captain since November, 2000, received formal notice June 10 that he was chosen to replace Capt. John O’Brien, who is retiring. O’Brien has been on medical leave since November.
Glazar, 53, first entered law enforcement in 1969, joining the Santa Monica Police Department. He later transferred to the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department in 1971, where he has worked his way up through the ranks. He has been at the Lost Hills Station for 13 years.
“I was looking for more challenges, more variety,” explained Glazar, as to why he left the Santa Monica department. He added that the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department is the largest in the world, having the largest jail system, larger, he believes, than 48 other state prison systems.
Under his helm, Glazar is responsible for more than 100,000 square miles. The Lost Hills station contracts with the cities of Malibu, Agoura, Hidden Hills, Calabasas and Westlake, as well as unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County.
Glazar said he comes from a military family–his father served in the Air Force–and he has lived all over the country, as well as six years in Germany.
“There were two careers I was interested in–fireman and policeman,” explained Glazar, as to how he decided on his career. “I saw that as a way to help society, to help people individually, get involved in things and make a difference. It sounds kind of corny, but that the way I’ve always looked at it.”
Glazar said he doesn’t see a lot of changes he would like to make with how the station serves.
“I mentioned the concept of service or community-oriented policing, the Andy Griffith type of thing,” he said. “I would like to see our service even more personalized.”
He’s not sure how he will implement this idea, but Glazar said he has let his supervisors know his intentions.
Until the city has its own city hall and Sheriff Lee Baca goes through with plans to take back the building the city now occupies, Glazar said he would like to establish a more permanent presence in Malibu, fielding patrol cars out of the current City Hall.
Katie Lichtig, acting city manager, said she started her job the same day as Glazar, so was unable to comment on what she thought of his appointment.
However, she did say, “I’m looking forward to a worthwhile and productive relationship with him, learning about what issues affect Malibu.”
There may be some rocky road to cover in the near future, however, as the council at Monday night’s meeting has directed staff to look at the sheriff’s budget to find any resources to dedicate toward youth programs.
“He is aware of the issue,” said Litchig. “It’s a budget-related issue, and members of the community have raised it previously.”
Lichtig did not know what amount staff would come up with, but she said some advocates are bantering about the figure of $100,000.