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Volume 4, Issue 1 | February 5, 2025

Online Reporting Expanded

2024 Police Explorer Banquet

On the evening of December 1, the Costa Mesa police explorers held their 2024 Police Explorer Banquet to recognize their hard work and dedication to public safety and service to the community. Congratulations to the scholarship recipients, the explorer promotions, and the Explorer of the Year recipient! Explorers, you are the future and it looks bright!

“The room was packed, and it’s amazing to watch so many young people ages 14-21 who volunteer for this amazing program that teaches strong character, leadership and respect. Three years ago, our program was only 12 kids, and today we have surpassed 30!” -Chief Ron Lawrence

The police team is growing! The Costa Mesa Police Department welcomed seven recruits, an Animal Services Officer, and Cadets, who in December were sworn in by Police Chief Ron Lawrence. The seven recruits will be starting the police academy in the coming months.

Accomplishments in 2024

The Training & Recruitment team had a great 2024:

There were 17 recruits, one reserve and two officers hired.

The Department now has 142 sworn personnel authorized with 12 recruits currently in the academy. The Department also hired 24 professional staff. 

On Friday, December 6, Costa Mesa Police officers kicked off the holiday season with a friendly game of snowball dodgeball with some local teen students. This has become an annual tradition and a fun way for officers to connect with local students who love to play dodgeball. The Teen Program students came ready to compete and win!

CMPD would like to thank the Teen Program, Save Our Youth (SOY), and Costa Mesa Parks & Community Services for putting this event together. Until next year at the Downtown Recreation Center for a rematch!

On December 11, Officer Alegado was presented with a Class C Commendation for "outstanding meritorious achievement as a police officer assigned to Field Operations, Area I, Team 1, for the murder investigation" at the block of 1900 Maple Ave.

On Oct. 22, 2024, officers were dispatched to a house on Maple Avenue regarding a woman found deceased in a trashcan in the yard of the residence. At the onset of the homicide investigation, Officer Alegado was able to identify and make contact with the suspect, Daniel Aldrich, who was in the City of Glendale with a relative. Officer Alegado spoke with Aldrich and developed a rapport with him, maintaining continual communication. He quickly determined that Aldrich was involved in the murder of the victim.

During the phone call, detectives responded to the City of Glendale, approximately 50 miles away during heavy traffic. Officer Alegado was able to obtain crucial information about the incident.

Detectives arrived and coordinated with officers from the Glendale Police Department for Aldrich’s surrender. Officer Alegado maintained constant communication with Aldrich for two hours and thirty minutes, displaying professional acumen and ability to effectively communicate with Aldrich, until the suspect surrendered to detectives.

Officer Alegado displayed exceptional professional ability, steadfast initiative, and a dedication to duty.

The Department would like to recognize the teams that were on duty on Christmas Day, working to patrol and protect the City of Costa Mesa while residents were home with their families enjoying a safe holiday thanks to them.

In early January, CMPD was notified of an encampment at the underpass of the 405 Freeway and Harbor Boulevard. The Community Policing Unit (CPU), with the assistance of Park Rangers and a patrol unit for traffic control, located the illegal encampment and shut down the on-ramp for 30 minutes to clear it and contact anyone in need of resources. There was no one in the camp and all of the items appeared to be trash. The officers and Park Rangers filled three truck beds and hauled all of it away.

On January 29, while officers were on another call at the 700 block of 19th Street, a person approached them to report a man with a gun in the area. Officers quickly located the suspect nearby, who immediately fled on foot. After a brief foot pursuit, officers detained the suspect without incident. A loaded handgun was recovered at the scene and linked to a nearby unreported vehicle burglary. That’s not where it ends.

Upon further investigation, detectives determined the suspect was also responsible for a violent assault on a 79-year-old man the previous night. Officers had been dispatched to a nearby hospital where they took a report from the victim, who while pulling his folding shopping cart was suddenly attacked by the suspect. The victim sustained serious injuries to his head but is expected to make a full recovery.

Great work by patrol officers and detectives on their quick action, which resulted in the arrest of Jacob Riley Manndavis, 28, Costa Mesa, for attempted homicide, elder abuse, felon with a gun, and a parole violation.

In December, Officers and detectives worked an undercover operation under our Organized Retail Theft grant which resulted in one arrest December 17 and a seizure of about $150,000 in recovered goods.

It all began with an undercover purchase off an advertisement on an online marketplace site. Detectives contacted the seller, who was later identified as Wendell Rios, 35, Costa Mesa, as he sold an officer stolen products and fragrances. They then found that Rios’ vehicle contained approximately $54,000 in stolen property from large retail establishments. He also had counterfeit headphones. Detectives then executed the search warrant at Rios’ residence and found over $100,000 in more stolen high-end products and fragrances, and over $23,000 in cash. It was also discovered that he had more stolen goods in a storage unit in a neighboring city.

“This investigation and arrest is a great example of the Costa Mesa Police Department making effective use of grant funding received from the state to combat organized retail theft,” said Chief Ron Lawrence. “With the grant funds, we have been able to focus more resources on capturing organized retail theft suspects, and with the help of our Orange County District Attorney’s Office, we are able to hold criminals accountable. With Prop 36 going into effect, repeat offenders of retail theft will now see real consequences for committing theft crimes.”

Right before Christmas, School Resource Officer Shane Dean gave Santa a ride to Woodland Elementary School to visit the students. Santa and SRO Dean were welcomed with cheers from the students, happy to see them both.

In early January, the Special Investigations Unit, who recently conducted narcotics enforcement in Orange County. It was after 8:30pm, they attempted to stop a black Mustang along the I-5 FWY for multiple vehicle code violations when the vehicle fled at a high rate of speed. After approximately 30 minutes, with assistance from CHP, the vehicle was located unoccupied in a nearby city. A police K9 alerted on the vehicle, and it was searched prior to being impounded for evidence. Detectives found approximately 25.55 kilograms of powdered fentanyl and 4.25 kilograms of blue fentanyl pills (about 42,500 pills). The following day, the 24-year-old driver from San Ysidro was located and arrested.

CHP and Laguna Beach PD’s K9 assisted with this arrest. This investigation and teamwork resulted in the seizure of such a dangerous drug. If just two milligrams of fentanyl can be lethal, taking over 20 kilograms off the streets makes this very notable.

On Saturday night, December 14, CMPD held a DUI and driver’s license checkpoint on 17th Street and Westminster Avenue, a total of 549 cars drove through, 240 vehicles were contacted and yielded 16 field evaluations for impairment, 4 DUI arrests, 10 citations issued for driver’s license related violations, and 6 vehicles were stored and impounded.

Checkpoint locations are determined based on data showing incidents of impaired driving-related crashes. The primary purpose of DUI checkpoints is not to make arrests, but to promote public safety by distributing educational information and by taking suspected impaired drivers off the road.

CMPD is committed to reducing injuries and fatalities on the road due to impairment. Help us keep the streets safe for everyone, don’t drive under the influence and obey all traffic laws. 

Funding for this checkpoint was provided by a grant from OTS, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

On January 23, around 10:30am, CMPD detectives executed a search warrant for animal cruelty at a residence on the 2100 block of Charle Drive. They were assisted by CMPD’s Animal Control Unit, City Code Enforcement, California Department of Fish & Wildlife, United States Fish & Wildlife Service, and Homeland Security Investigations. As a result of this search warrant, they found hundreds of birds being severely neglected and in need of medical care for a variety of conditions. Several of these birds are suffering from a variety of diseases, and poor/stressful living conditions. They recovered 9 adult dogs, 5 puppies, approximately 280 neglected birds, 4 deceased birds, and several birds in grave condition. The birds were transported to a veterinarian clinic for evaluation, treatment and proper housing. At the scene, they arrested two men, both Costa Mesa residents, 36 and 26 years old.

On December 2nd, CMPD volunteer Sam Soberanes passed away at the age of 92. He was a volunteer at CMPD for 20 years and assisted the Traffic Safety Bureau, CSI, and Live Scan, his favorite.

A little background on Sam from his daughter Liz:

Sam had eight grandchildren and four great grand kids. After my mom passed, my dad left San Marino and moved down to Costa Mesa to be around his children and grandchildren. My dad was an avid sports fan. He would support all his grandkids by going to each and every one of their games. It could have been golf and tennis at Mater Dei, or water polo at Harbor High School. He was always so supportive and proud of his family. My dad was very proud and would boast that he attended every grandchild's college graduation as well as, their high school and grammar school graduations. He loved having family dinners with his whole family.

My dad grew up in Los Angeles. He attended Loyola High School, UCLA and graduated from Loyola University. He was a proud class rep for Loyola University until the day he passed. He was even invited to walk with the professors, in a black cap and gown, at Loyola University's graduation in 2019.

He loved LA, he was a ticket season holder for the Dodgers and Rams. Since he was a sixth generation Californian, he was a member of the Los Californianos. 

After he left the Air Force, he went to work for IBM. He spent many years with IBM as a Vice President of Sales in Los Angeles. He loved his job and had many of his IBM friends to the day he passed. After retiring from IBM, he was a private consultant for many financial companies in Orange County and Los Angeles. He was always a very respected friend, father and grandfather. After his wife Jean Soberanes passed in 2001, he moved to Costa Mesa and began being a volunteer at Costa Mesa Police Department. He thoroughly enjoyed the police officers and staff at the Costa Mesa Police Department. His favorite job was helping with finger printing, because he would meet many people who knew his children, son-in-laws and grandchildren. He was very loyal to all who knew him and was always there to help anyone in need.

On December 10, the Costa Mesa Police Department (CMPD) treated their volunteers to a Christmas lunch. The police volunteers help CMPD throughout the year with purpose and dedication. Police personnel and the volunteers had some great conversations over a delicious meal and even celebrated a birthday! CMPD is very grateful for their volunteers and everything they do daily to help us protect and serve the community.

“If we look at our department as a three-legged stool, one leg is our officers, another leg is our professional staff, but we need that third leg to make us strong and sturdy and that’s you all - our volunteers,” said Chief Ron Lawrence. “You are very important to the department and we thank you for everything you do.”

CMPD Sergeant Jerry Souza retired in December after 31 years of service to Costa Mesa.

Since August 1993, Sgt. Souza led a career of exceptional dedication and service, exemplifying the highest standards of law enforcement and community stewardship. He rose through the ranks from Police Cadet to Police Sergeant, demonstrating a profound commitment to public safety, innovation, and mentorship throughout a distinguished 31-year career that encompassed a range of impactful roles, including:



• Police Cadet (1993-1995): Supporting Crime Prevention, Training Bureau, and Front Desk operations.
• Police Recruit (1995): Graduating from the Orange County Sheriff’s Academy, Class #121.
• Officer (1995-2010): Serving as a Patrol Officer, Field Training Officer, Bicycle Patrol Officer, SWAT Hostage Negotiator, and Detective specializing in Property Crimes and Crimes Against Juveniles/Persons and
• Sergeant (2010-2024): Leading in capacities including Patrol Sergeant, Field Training Program, Community Policing, and Detective Sergeant overseeing Property and Crimes Against Persons.

He demonstrated exceptional leadership through initiatives such as training and mentoring over 75 officers and sergeants, developing innovative community policing strategies, addressing homelessness with multi-agency solutions, enhancing public safety through PRCS enforcement programs, implementing a patrol-wide AED program, and creating a formal Sergeant Training Program to prepare future leaders. These efforts earned recognition through numerous awards, including Class A Commendations, the Golden Hub of Innovation Award, and Police Supervisor of the Year in 2016.

Thank you for your excellent service to Costa Mesa! We all wish you a very happy retirement!

On December 19, two Costa Mesa Police sergeants retired after serving 25 years of service each.

Sergeant Kuo faithfully served as a police officer April 2000 to October 2019, when he promoted to sergeant. Throughout his 25 years of exemplary service, Sergeant Kuo displayed outstanding commitment, professionalism, and leadership in various roles, including as a patrol officer, field training officer, patrol sergeant, and supervisor of the South Coast Plaza Detail, where he led efforts to combat organized retail theft using the ORT grant.

Sergeant Kuo was a dedicated member of the SWAT Tactical Team for 16 years, serving as a Tactical Team Leader and instructor in chemical munitions, diversionary devices, vehicle assaults, and building searches, playing an instrumental role in many high-risk warrant services and critical incidents; and he demonstrated exceptional mentorship as a Field Training Officer, training 39 officers and overseeing the on-boarding and instruction of 90 officers during his tenure as Field Training Program Coordinator, ensuring the seamless integration of new police officers into Field Operations.

Sergeant Lopez has retired after an exemplary 25-year career that included serving with distinction as a police officer for nearly 20 years, until his promotion to sergeant in January 2021.

Sergeant Lopez displayed extraordinary versatility and commitment throughout his career, serving in diverse roles, including as a patrol officer, Problem-Oriented Policing (P.O.P.) officer, Gang Unit investigator, Field Training officer, detective, and Community Policing Unit (CPU) sergeant; and as a detective, Sergeant Lopez contributed to the Special Investigations Unit and the Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force (2016-2018), where he played a vital role in combating human trafficking and protecting vulnerable populations, later transitioning to investigate Crimes Against Persons (2018-2019); and as a Patrol Sergeant and later CPU Sergeant, he spearheaded innovative programs to address community needs.



Congratulations to both sergeants on their well-deserved retirements!

As we launched into 2025, new challenges emerge, and fresh opportunities await us. First, some opportunities: I am pleased about the number of police recruits we currently have either in the academy, or those waiting to attend an upcoming academy. In addition to those police officers currently in the Field Training Program (FTO), we will have a large surge of trainees in the FTO program come this summer, and many of our vacancies will be filled by the fall of 2025. It is exciting to have so many new professionals beginning their career with our police department at the police officer ranks. Other opportunities include our pursuit of technologies, as we transitioned away from Watchguard to Axon for Body Worn Cameras (BWC) an in-car cameras, implemented Peregrine for our overall internal search platform, and added additional Flock cameras to our crime-fighting capabilities. I am excited about the future as we pursue a Drone as a First Responder (DFR) program and potential Real Time Crime Center (RTCC). The future of policing will look entirely different, and we intend for Costa Mesa to remain at the forefront of innovation.

Now for the challenges, addressing challenges is what we do best. Police professionals are problem solvers, and I know we can weather any storm. With the new federal administration, one of their primary focuses is on immigration and immigration reforms. Understandably, this issue has caused concern by some in our community who are uncertain of what that may mean for their future. In California, Senate Bill 54, called “The California Values Act,” was passed into law in 2017, and mandates that California peace officers shall not be used for the purpose of immigration enforcement. SB54 made it clear that immigration was a federal law enforcement role, and that local California law enforcement should remain as the primary police agency available to anyone who is a victim of crime, regardless of immigration status. Under the Government Code, California peace officers shall not assist the federal government in the enforcement of immigration laws, nor assist in a way that allows them in our facilities, and California peace officers are forbidden by law from asking anyone their immigration status or detaining someone because of immigration status. I know we all are familiar with these laws, but I directed the Professional Standards Bureau to put out a training bulletin specific to SB54, so that we all are reminded of the laws surrounding immigration. That said, if any of our federal partners needed Code-3 cover as a result of an emergency, of course we would respond to assist. We just can’t help them in the performance of duties involving immigration.



One can imagine the stress and anxiety this has placed upon some members of our community. In your interactions, whether on the phone or in person, please be very familiar with California laws, and ensure our community members that our role is to keep our community safe, and that is what we will continue to do.