Michael Ishii

I am a retired Police Chief and currently work as a consultant for companies in the public safety and government tech market.

*** August 2024. I am currently the Interim Chief for the Fountain Valley Police Department located in Orange County, CA. ***

Prior to this, I was a Police Officer with the Hawthorne Police Department for 32 years (1990-2022), the last four as the Chief. At HPD, I worked various assignments including Motor Officer, Traffic Investigator, Field Training Officer, Internal Affairs Sergeant, Public Information Officer, Patrol Bureau Watch Commander, and Detective Bureau Commander. I was promoted to Captain in 2010 and oversaw the Administration and Operations Divisions of the Police Department along with the City’s Information Technology Services Bureau.

From 2010 to my retirement in December of 2022, under Chief Robert Fager’s leadership, I was part of (and later led) the Executive team that helped transform the department into a community policing-driven culture with a priority on creating an organizational culture focused on employee empowerment, wellness, and innovating community policing programs.

During my tenure as Chief, we implemented the Hawthorne Safe Initiative, a policing strategy that provided safety and engagement in five key areas:  Parks, Schools, Traffic, Neighborhoods, and Businesses. We also created the Care for Blue Initiative that focused on Officer wellness in mental care, career mentoring, finance, and health.  I didn’t know then, but this focus on culture would carry us through some of the most challenging times in the department’s history. From dealing with critical incidents (officer shot) to the pandemic and protests, our culture guided us through these challenges. I would never say we were better off (with many employees going through personal tragedies brought upon by COVID), but I can confidently say we came out of it as a tougher, more resilient organization.

Because we were able to create and maintain a culture of innovation, we implemented one of the most significant organizational changes in the department’s history. I hired the region’s first and only full-time Medical Director (who oversees the Paramedic, EMT, and Tactical Medicine programs). When I left at the end of 2022, HPD had six fully trained paramedics and over 20 officers certified as EMTs.  We created a culture where Officers were using their training and skills to (literally) save lives as they encountered victims (and suspects) suffering from life-threatening injuries, drug overdoses, and medical emergencies. This was a true “game changer” for HPD. As a result of the team’s dedication and hard work, several neighboring agencies have now signed contracts with HPD to oversee their respective EMT/TacMed programs. This was not an “overnight” process. Recognition and credit go to Chief Keith Kauffman, ret. who started the program with his forward-thinking vision, and Captain Eric Lane, who continues to oversee the program.

In 2011, I was part of the Hawthorne PD team that helped create the national Coffee with a Cop program, which has gone on to become one of the most successful national community policing programs with events held in all 50 States, 41 countries, and in 9 languages. I also developed the National Coffee with a Cop website and started the National Coffee with a Cop Day (held annually nationwide on the 1st Wednesday of October). As the Program Manager of CWAC, I was able to develop expertise in branding, marketing, and what it takes to be a global brand manager for the Coffee with a Cop nonprofit corporation.

I am a past member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, California Police Chief’s Association (IACP), California Police Chiefs Association (CPCA), and the Los Angeles County Police Chiefs Association (LACPCA). I currently sit on the Advisory Board for Carfax for Police and was a board member with Richstone Family Center, a local non-profit that helps victims of child abuse. I am a current member of the National Association of Asian American Law Enforcement Commanders (NAAALEC), which is part of the National Asian Peace Officers Association (NAPOA). I conduct training workshops along with mentoring other Asian Police Officers for promotions and career development.

I received my MA from California State University Dominguez Hills in Negotiation, Conflict/Management, and BA from California State University Long Beach in Communication Studies - Interpersonal and Organizational Communication.

I was born in Japan and grew up on a US military base near Tokyo. I am fluent in Japanese.

EXPERIENCE

As a newly appointed Captain in 2011, one of the first orders of business was to take over the city’s Information Technology Services. Not only did HPD’s ITS oversee the entire city’s IT, but they were also responsible for managing the regional communications center, including the CAD/RMS contract. For the next 11 years, I worked closely with the ITS Director and oversaw all of the police software integrations for the department and region. I was there to observe, learn, and support. This gave me the experience to understand the needs, complexities, and challenges of incorporating software to run the police department.

As project manager for many of these software/hardware integrations, I developed a deeper understanding of how Government Technology companies differ greatly in their business models and practices. As a user and customer, I understood the importance of the initial “pitch”, the implementation strategy, long-term customer support, relationships, trust, communication, cost, etc. During my time with HPD, I worked with many GovTech companies (from start-ups to legacy) and through this experience, I learned about the difficulties of innovation vs stability. I also learned about the organization’s “change” culture and how Police leadership played a key role in the ultimate success/failure of the project. These are just a few perspectives I gained through my experience. What (I believe) is unique about my career path is that I have gained valuable knowledge and perspectives from the macro to micro, from leadership to the user, and from provider to customer.

Public Speaking / Instructor / Consultant

I’ve done public presentations/workshops on Community Policing, Tech in Policing, and Executive Leadership development for employees at Coffee Bean HQ, Nextdoor HQ, Axon, NAPOA, Mark43, City of Hawthorne, Gardena PD, and El Segundo PD. With Police department executives, I have focused on organizational leadership and culture building, using data to build value and trust for the organization, messaging from a Chief’s perspective, and general leadership concepts that incorporate private sector philosophies into public sector organizations. I’ve also done “fireside chats” or was a guest speaker for LexisNexis, CARFAX for Police, Mark43, PLECET, IACP, Recruitment workshop for Embassy Consulting, and YPO. Linkedin Profile

For the past 11 years, I traveled to police departments nationwide to teach community policing as part of the Coffee with a Cop program (with the co-founder of CWAC, retired HPD Sgt. Chris Cognac). I recently had the privilege of joining the Executive Instructor group for the California Police Chief’s Association and teach a segment on Police Data to new Police Chiefs and Command staff.

US DOJ COPS Office / Subject Matter Expert (SME)

Hawthorne PD and the DOJ COPS office have a long history together. In 2012, COPS funded a grant that helped us create the Coffee with a Cop community policing workshop where HPD Instructors traveled across the country to teach the class. In 2022, HPD was featured in the COPS Office “Implementing Change” project. Hawthorne PD was one of 13 police departments (selected from across the nation) highlighted in the report for being a model of change in community policing. I was part of a two-day panel at the COPS office for a discussion on the topic. I am also a Subject Matter Expert in the area of community policing with the Institute for Intergovernmental Research (IIR) organization.

Project Management / Web Design / Marketing

Over the past 13 years, I have led projects in numerous police software/hardware tech implementations. Some of these include CAD, RMS, UAV, City-wide Cameras, ALPR, Fleet management, Regional AVL, Crime mapping, Investigative software, etc.

I also design websites and continue to manage several for the city.

I worked with a design firm to design the below websites and brands.

Marketing and CRM software experience:

  • Monday, Trello, PrimeGov, NeoGov (Planit), Basecamp, Mailchimp, Pingboard, Squarespace, Vimeo, Olark.

ABOUT HAWTHORNE PD

A progressively modern police agency with a renowned family-feel. Founded in 1922 and located in the heart of Los Angeles County, the Hawthorne Police Department provides services and innovations that sets a standard of what a medium-sized police department could achieve. Coffee with a Cop, Ride to Live, Tactical First Aid, and 'Scottie' are current examples of how HPD continues to push staff-driven ideas into programs that set the bar in innovative approaches to community policing.

With nearly 100 officers and 60 support staff serving an ever growing community of over 95,000 (home of the Beach Boys, Northrop Corporation, and more recently SpaceX and Tesla Motors Design), the department maintains its technical edge by being the only department in the South Bay with its own Helicopter, Medical Director, and state of the art Police Facility.