Officer Chiarello - End of Watch March 13, 2020
Officer Iva Chiarello also affectionately known as ‘Christi’ or ‘Chia’ passed away yesterday after her valiant fight with cancer. Christi had a rare form of cancer that developed in her heart. For the past two years and five months, Christi has bravely faced her battle with cancer through several surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation treatments. Throughout this time, Christi has remained brave with a positive outlook on life often comforting those surrounding her. Christi was never content to just recuperate at home and insisted on returning to her work at the Hawthorne Police Department Detective Bureau between treatments. Even through this last battle, Christi remained focused on gathering her strength back so that she could return to work in order to continue to provide her services for the department, community, and especially the youth.
Christi was hired by the Hawthorne Police Department in 1992 as a police recruit. She graduated from the Long Beach Police Academy in June of 1993 with Class 65. Throughout her career, Christi has worked in patrol, as a School Resource Officer for Prairie Vista South, Juvenile Detective, School Resource Officer for Hawthorne High School, and in her most recent assignment as a Special Victims Unit Investigator. She was one of the original members of our Special Enforcement Team who patrolled the city streets of Hawthorne on bicycle and targeted quality of life issues for the community. Christi developed her expertise in gangs as she investigated gang-related crimes and became very knowledgeable on the emerging gang members. Christi was one of our original Crisis Negotiator Team members as she assisted in developing the newly formed unit in its infancy. She also became one of the original members of our Peer Support Group who help lend guidance and support for her fellow employees as well as other agencies during their times of crisis.
Christi was always involved with our Hawthorne Police Officers Association by assisting with their events and their involvement with community events such as American Cancer Society Relay for Life and the Special Olympics Torch Run. One of Christi’s most cherished roles in the department was as the Police Explorer Advisor for Hawthorne Post 867. Christi has helped to develop and mentor countless youths as an Explorer Advisor for over the last fifteen years. She strived to provide guidance for these youths and help to mentor them in the proper direction so that they could ultimately fulfill their personal goals and dreams while becoming a valuable member of the community.
Christi was born in the state of Texas. She graduated from Hawthorne High School Class of 1980. Christi spent her childhood in the city of Hawthorne and has always been a resident of the South Bay. Christi is survived by her daughter, Amy, and her ‘big’ little brother Darnell Wallace and countless close friends and family not only in the Hawthorne Police Department but from agencies throughout the South Bay. Christi loved her ‘family’ at the Hawthorne Police Department and our community and always instilled in others to ‘Teach Peace!’