Long Beach officials announced Wednesday that Police Chief Wally Hebeish will retire at the end of the year, closing a more than three-decade career in law enforcement and setting in motion a multistep, months-long national search for the city's next police chief.
End of a five-year tenure
Hebeish was appointed the city’s 27th police chief in December 2021 and has served as the top commander for five years. Under his leadership, the Long Beach Police Department oversaw public safety for a city of more than 450,000 residents with an agency that includes roughly 800 sworn officers and about 1,200 total personnel.
The department’s portfolio covers a wide range of local responsibilities, from community policing and tourism-area safety to securing the nation’s second-busiest port, which the city cited as contributing more than $309 billion in gross domestic product. The city also noted the role of local law enforcement in supporting sectors that generate about $2 million in economic impact.
Legacy and context
Hebeish succeeded former Chief Robert Luna, who was the city’s first Latino police chief. Luna’s tenure and popularity in Long Beach helped propel him to a successful bid for Los Angeles County sheriff in 2022, when he received about 61% of the vote in the runoff.
Before becoming chief, Hebeish served as assistant chief while Luna led the department through several fraught years, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the protests that followed the 2020 killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The department also confronted the city’s worst mass shooting in history at a Halloween party in October 2019.
In the aftermath of the national unrest in 2020, the department created the Office of Constitutional Policing and Strategic Initiatives in July of that year. Hebeish led that office prior to his appointment as chief and, shortly after taking the top job, publicly called for further investment in the initiative.
Transition and search
The city said the replacement process will be national in scope and will involve multiple steps over several months. City leaders did not provide a specific timetable for selecting a permanent successor but characterized the effort as comprehensive.
- Hebeish to retire at the end of the year after a 30-plus year law enforcement career
- Long Beach will conduct a multistep, months-long national search for a new police chief
- Department comprises roughly 800 sworn officers and about 1,200 total staff
“We will conduct a thorough national search to identify the right leader for our department,” the city said in its announcement.
What residents should expect
During the search, an interim leadership plan is typically put in place to maintain continuity of operations and community programs. The department’s responsibilities — from public safety in commercial and tourist areas to maritime security at the Port of Long Beach — will continue under current command structures while the city evaluates candidates.
Long Beach residents and stakeholders, including business and port leaders, are likely to watch the process closely. The next chief will inherit a department with a high-profile local role and a portfolio that intersects with regional public safety, economic interests and sensitive community relations that have drawn national attention in recent years.
| Item | Figure |
|---|---|
| Sworn officers | ~800 |
| Total department personnel | ~1,200 |
| City population | >450,000 |
| Port GDP contribution | $309 billion+ |
Further details about the selection process, including how the city will solicit input from community members and when finalists might be announced, were not included in the city’s initial release. Officials said they would provide updates as the search advances.
The announcement marks the close of a long public safety career in Long Beach and the start of a consequential leadership transition for the department that serves one of Southern California’s largest and most economically significant cities.
