Spotlight on Senior Lead Officer Danny Chavez
When talking to Senior Lead Officer Danny Chavez of Olympic Division, his pride in being an officer, helping his community, and specifically being part of the Los Angeles Police Department is apparent. When referencing LAPD he said, “It’s the best police department in the world.” And that’s after spending almost 23 years on the force.
As a native Angeleno, Chavez wanted to be a baseball player for the L.A. Dodgers. However, he said that wasn’t realistic. Instead, he took classes at community college while he thought about what he should do.
He wanted to help people daily and make a difference. Police officers were always his heroes growing up, so at 20 1/2 he decided to take the LAPD entrance exam. Seven months later in 2001, he graduated from the Police Academy and started working as a first-year officer at the Hollenbeck Community Police Station in East Los Angeles. Seems like he really wanted to wear a blue uniform.
SENIOR LEAD OFFICER Danny Chavez poses in front of a mural inside Olympic Division LAPD.
Becoming a SLO
Olympic Division, located at 1130 S. Vermont Ave., opened in January 2009. Chavez was eager to be part of the new station and transferred there from Hollywood. In that first year he was named Officer of the Year, while being a field training officer, wherein he helped train rookie officers.
In 2010 he was assigned temporarily to be a SLO. That brief assignment became permanent and he’s spent the past 15 years as a SLO at Olympic.
A senior lead officer is a specialized officer that acts as a liaison between the police department and the community. SLOs solve problems in their assigned neighborhood and work to improve the quality of life. Much of the job is interacting and being available to the community, so changing workdays, hours, and even days off to handle community events are all aspects of the position, commented Chavez.
He’s worked the Windsor Square and areas east in designated patrol car 20A1 for two years. “I’m really enjoying it. I love working alongside the community and being a SLO for A1,” he said. He doesn’t plan on changing anything until he retires in nine years. He’s 45.
He also shared that SLOs are the glue at a station, likening it. He likening it to a house. He said, “Anything that breaks, we have to fix, inside and out.” Officers even need to take care of the station’s landscaping by trimming hedges and pulling weeds. “SLOs are the ones who keep morale up at the station and are the most constant presence at a station,” according to Chavez.
What did he do before SLO?
Prior to becoming a SLO, he spent years being part of the Special Problems Unit at both the Hollywood and Olympic divisions. This is a plain-clothed, undercover unit that works in tandem with regular patrol, gang and vice units. He also worked gangs in East L.A. for a couple years.
The future of LAPD
Although staff numbers are down, LAPD continues to hire. Chavez claims there are a lot of young, capable officers at Olympic. LAPD is always looking for applicants.
He is reached most easily via email at 36304@lapd.online. You can also check out his Instagram @Olympic_SLO1.
Category: People
