PRESS RELEASE
RETIREMENT OF POLICE CHIEF ROBERT FAGER
After 28 years of service to the City of Hawthorne, Chief of Police Robert Fager has announced his retirement, effective Friday, October 26, 2018. Chief Fager was appointed as Hawthorne Police Department’s Chief in December of 2010. Prior, he served as Interim Chief beginning in May of that year. Across the next eight years, Chief Fager directed and oversaw significant Departmental reorganizations that established a contemporary value-building philosophy toward Hawthorne’s public safety mission.
Chief Fager’s organizational reformations intrinsically began with the creation of the Department’s ‘Community Affairs Unit’ in 2011. Always a strong advocate for community engagement, he asked this unit to markedly develop and fulfill a new mantra, one built on focused relationship-building with the Hawthorne community.
Sitting at the forefront of the innovative programs designed sits ‘Coffee with a Cop’. Endorsed by the U.S. Department of Justice, this nationally recognized program grows annually and is hosted by agencies in every U.S. state and in over 18 countries internationally. Another notable program-partnership established came alongside the Major League Soccer franchise L.A. Galaxy, and corporate partners Chevrolet and Herbalife. These involved the repurposing of sparsely-used tennis courts at two city parks. The recreation areas were redeveloped into futsal courts. Today, Hawthorne PD staff mentors groups of varying-age children weekly, as they play competitive games and interact on life learning-lessons. In similar fashion, a partnership with the National Hockey League Players Association resulted in the creation of a boys & girls youth hockey team. The “Hawthorne Force,” a roster of children 14-years of age and under from the local community, come together to learn and play ice hockey (a sport often both unavailable, and financially unattainable, for families to the community).
Each of these sport-based endeavors allows platforms for Hawthorne Police Staff to engage and build positive relationships with community youth and parents alike. In a separate direction, another notable program developed and running under Chief Fager’s mission plan is the ‘Ride To Live’ motorcycle safety course. Taught by Department Traffic Bureau motor officers, RTL allows the Agency to offer a fee-free program that increases rider awareness and skills, improving traffic safety and reducing potential accidents.
Under Chief Fager’s direction, the Department is currently implementing advanced technologies that increase effectiveness and efficiencies. Automated camera systems installed at main arterial corridors and city parks continually prove indispensable in criminal investigation and apprehension, and identifying public hazards. The Department acquired and deploys a mobile-based camera system, addressing crime trends and public needs as they emerge. Most recently, a tremendous partnership with the Mark43 Corporation is allowing the Hawthorne Police Department to integrate their advanced state-of-the-art dispatching, records management, and report writing systems. These contemporary softwares and user-interfaces, normally only found in large private-sector realms, allow the Department seamless functionalities and analytic capabilities necessary for today and tomorrow’s demands.
Outside of Hawthorne’s doors, Chief Fager has served in positions for the California Police Chief’s Association (CPCA) and the Los Angeles County Police Chief’s Association (LACPCA). He currently sits as Chair for the Los Angeles Interagency Metropolitan Police Apprehension Crime Task (LA IMPACT) and the Interoperability Network of the South Bay (INSB). Further, he has served in advisory roles with ‘Fight Crime: Invest in Kids Council’, the ‘National Safe-Internet Surfing Foundation’, and the South Bay Workforce Investment Board’s Youth Development Council.
Originally hired by the Police Department in 1990, Chief Fager has served in a multitude of positions during his career. A long-time member of the Department’s SWAT team, he has worked in various capacities and ranks within enforcement, field-training, investigations, traffic, and administration. He is a 1996 recipient of the South Bay ‘Medal of Valor’ award.
Chief Fager relates:
“I couldn’t be prouder of the genuine talent and passion brought to work by the men and women of this Department daily. In these most challenging and evolving times, our staff retains the true nobility of the law enforcement profession while working to better the quality of life within our community. That says something beyond special, about our Officers and their focuses. Our community is blessed. I have been blessed.”
In his succession, Captain Michael Ishii, a 28-year veteran of the Department will be appointed as Interim Police Chief upon Chief Fager’s retirement. Captain Ishii, the senior-tenured Captain both in the Department and the South Bay region at-large, has worked hand-in-hand alongside Chief Fager since 2010. Having overseen all Administrative and Operations Division facets, Captain Ishii will seamlessly continue the Department’s proud tradition of police service and advancing the value-focused community programs and relationships.
