I’m writing about my unhappiness regarding Lt. Jim Royal’s sudden departure from Malibu. I served on the Malibu Public Safety Commission for 16 years and was witness to the keen knowledge and focus Lt. Royal provided our commission when asked a myriad of questions. Along with his vast expertise on every aspect of law enforcement, he was also extremely knowledgeable about Malibu’s numerous and varying issues that were crime- and public safety-related. Lt. Royal didn’t just listen to our concerns—he found out-of-the-box solutions, something we hadn’t experienced before. It’s not easy to replace someone who was so readily approachable and who knows a community as well as he knows Malibu. For a lieutenant that comes from the largest sheriff’s department in the country, you would never know it, because his demeanor was that of a small town sheriff.
Lt. Jim Royal loved Malibu and Malibu made sure he knew we loved and respected him. I will personally miss the respect, expertise and logic he managed to have on every issue from the mundane to those of great importance. He was a perfect fit for Malibu.
Marlene Matlow