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Morro Bay hires new chief after dropping police outsourcing plan

April 10, 2017

Gregory Allen

Months after dropping a plan to disband its police department, the city of Morro Bay has selected a new police chief.

Gregory Allen, currently the acting police chief of the Salinas Valley city of Greenfield, served more than 30 years in LAPD, rising from beat officer to captain on the Los Angeles force. While with LAPD, Allen commanded a patrol division, detective division, training division and homicide unit.

He also worked closely with the community relations unit and participated on the LAPD Citizen Community Police Advisory Board.

In 2015, Allen became a police commander in Greenfield, a city of about 16,000 people. For eight months, Allen has served as Greenfield’s acting chief.

“We are proud and privileged for Greg Allen to serve as our next chief op police,” City Manager David Buckingham said. “Chief Allen’s great performance and reputation in Greenfield clearly demonstrates he has thoughtfully and skillfully related his long and impressive LAPD experience to work wonderfully in a smaller town.”

Morro Bay selected Allen from a pool of 40 applicants.

Allen was the consensus pick of both finalist interview panels, which included Morro Bay community representatives and law enforcement professionals from across San Luis Obispo County.

It is unclear what Allen’s salary will be. In 2015, then-Morro Bay chief Amy Christey received $147,706 in salary and $187,127 in total pay, according to the Transparent California database.

Christie left Morro Bay Bay to take over as the police chief of Pacific Grove last August.

At the time, Morro Bay considered disbanding its police department and outsourcing law enforcement duties to the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office in order to cut costs. However, following outcry from residents, the Morro Bay City Council voted unanimously to drop the plan.

Allen is scheduled to be sworn in as Morro Bay’s new chief on June 2. Acting Chief Jody Cox will continue heading the department in the interim.


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34 years with LAPD? This guy is way over qualified.


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I wish SLO could find a highly experienced individual like this to be our chief — and our city manager.


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Is Mr. Allen double dipping? with his pension from the LAPD and now a salary from Morro Bay, which is turn will raise his pension.


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Personally, I believe double dipping is not an issue. It’s not illegal, and a retired person is willing to continua to work, more power to them.

If you choose to find any fault with the news chief, investigate his history and then make a ju=judgement.


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We all know it is not illegal but that doesn’t make it right, especially since the taxpayers are having to pay and pay for a system that in the real world would be bankrupt. When the pension system is trillions underfunded that is a problem. Just as in the “real” world, when you retire and collect money but should you take a job and receive money there your other money is reduced, but we all know public sector is not the real world, otherwise bad employees would get fired instead of promoted.


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Wow, where to begin? You have just perfectly characterized Morro Bay and you haven’t even lived here for 27 years. Imagine the daily stress parents are under in this gang ridden, violent war-zone of a burg trying to keep their children safe from the HISPANICS that run this town. Hopefully this new “sore thumb” (non-white) will be able to tamp down this never ending cycle of gang attack and retaliation that makes this town so dangerous!

Untlil then, my family and I will stay locked tight in our home, occasionally peering through the blinds. We are praying for the day we can safely walk the streets again here in Morro Bay.


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Greenfield has and has had a massive hispanic gang problem for a long time , I visited MB a few weeks ago spent a few days there every mini store had at least one hispanic gang member full neck and face tattooed in line at the register that i went into . I lived in MB 27 years ago there was no hispanic gang members that i ever saw , but now the business employees at the restaurants, hotels ETC. are all hispanic IE; cooks, dishwashers, motel maids ETC. MR. ALLEN is going to be like a sore thumb i realize diversity is the thing to do these days but he does have experience with gang problems which could be of big help to the growing gang members in MB .


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Well I don’t just visit Morro Bay I live here. What does gang members here or in Greenfield have to do with chief Allen? If your post is an attempt at sarcasm you failed if you are serious you are wrong.


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Is that you Rip Van Winkle? Did you just come out of your slumber to realize things have changed in the last 27 years?


Not sure what the point of your comment was supposed to be. It is kind of like of nut loaf of racism chalk full so many tidbits they are hard to discern individually.


I get that you “realize” that diversity is the “thing” to do these days, but I am not sure if you feel that it is the right thing to do.


Why didn’t you just stick with; he sounds like a well qualified man, who is right for the job, at the right time?


Which what you meant to say, right?


On a positive note; your comments did make me want to watch Blazin Saddles again.


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“On a positive note; your comments did make me want to watch Blazin Saddles again”

LOL


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