SLO Joe Pelayo to retire; lunch June 5
NEW TO LARCHMONT is SLO Chavez (right) along with retiring SLO Pelayo.
After 17 years as a Senior Lead Officer (SLO) for Larchmont and the surrounding areas and 29 years total with the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), SLO Joe Pelayo is retiring. “I have yet to see Europe,” Pelayo states. He plans to travel the world with his wife and 12-year-old son once he retires.
His last day on the job at the Olympic Community Police Station is Sun., June 30. The first stop on his world tour is Madrid this summer. After that, he is targeting another European locale during his son’s winter school vacation.
“I’ll miss everybody. This area is one of the best assignments in all of LAPD,” Pelayo recounts. “It’s a community that feels like home.”
Larchmont Village and Windsor Square, according to him, are the most involved communities and are incredibly organized. The local residential organizations made his job of communicating information much easier. He spoke highly of the system of block captains, especially those in Windsor Square.
Rotary to honor Pelayo
The Wilshire Rotary Club of Los Angeles is honoring Pelayo for his contributions to the community with a luncheon at the Ebell of Los Angeles, 743 S. Lucerne Blvd. All are welcome Wed., June 5, at noon. The cost to attend is $35. Please RSVP to wendyclifford@gmail.com.
New SLO Danny Chavez
When we spoke recently with SLO Pelayo, he was on-site at a homicide near Gramercy Place and Fourth Street. Also at the scene was the officer taking over Pelayo’s position July 1, SLO Danny Chavez. The two have known each other for a dozen years, and Chavez was Pelayo’s first choice to succeed him.
Pelayo and Chavez were bike riders in the Police Unity Tour in May — Chavez for the sixth time and Pelayo for the 10th. The four-day bike tour goes from New Jersey to Washington, D.C., and it raises money and awareness for families of officers who have died on duty.
SLO Chavez is looking forward to working with the communities in the eastern part of the Chronicle’s circulation area, and he feels the transition will be smooth. He’s been an officer with the LAPD for 22 years and a SLO for almost 13 of those years.
Chavez was eager to announce his department-approved Instagram account, @Olympic_1. Starting July 1, you can follow what he’s up to on the job. He will take over Pelayo’s phone, 213-793-0709 starting July 1, and his email address is 36304@lapd.online.
Category: People