LAPD Explorer Chief Selected

Los Angeles:  The Los Angeles Police Department is proud to announce the selection of its Explorer Chief, Gloria Hernandez.

Chief Explorer Hernandez presently holds the rank of Captain at the San Pedro High School Police Academy Magnet Program and was also an Explorer Commander.  She also received notification last night that she had been accepted to attend the University of California, Los Angeles where she intends to study law.  In her new role, Chief Explorer Hernandez exercises functional command for all Department Explorers under the guidance of the Office of Operations.  She also supervises the twelve Explorer Commanders who serve as liaisons to the Area Posts.

Gloria cites as some of her many goals the chance to enhance leadership opportunities and develop age-appropriate training not only for Magnet Cadets and Explorers, but also for the thousands of young people who participate in our other Department youth enrichment initiatives.  She is a superb example of how an investment in our youth today has the great potential of paying meaningful and rich dividends in the future.
 
Chief Earl Paysinger, Commanding Officer of Operations, said “Please join me in congratulating Explorer Commander Gloria Hernandez for being named the next Chief Explorer for the Department Explorer Program.  This is a truly wonderful honor for an outstanding young lady!”

Chief Explorer Hernandez succeeds Eduardo Vega who celebrated his 21st birthday this month.  Her assignment to this position is effective immediately.

Comments

[Explorer Perez M.]

I WANT TO SAY CONGRATULATIONS TO THIS EXPLORER IN GETTING CHIEF. HOWEVER I DON'T BELIEVE SHE WAS THE BEST QUALIFIED FOR THIS POSITION. SEEING THE FACT THAT SHE RECENTLY GRADUATED THE EXPLORER ACADEMY BACK IN SEPTEMBER 7, 2024 CLASS OF '91. NOT ONLY HAS SHE BEEN AN EXPLORER FOR A ABOUT 5 MONTHS BUT I FEEL SHE DOESN'T HAVE THE EXPERIENCE TO LEAD ALL EXPLORERS.THERE IS NO DOUBT IN MY MIND THAT SHE IS A WONDERFUL PERSON, AS I HAVE MET HER AND SHE SEEMS LIKE A WONDERFUL PERSON, BUT THAT DOESN'T CHANGE THE FACT THAT THERE WERE TWO OTHER COMMANDERS GOING FOR THIS EXACT SAME POSITION THAT I FEEL WERE BETTER QUALIFIED TO RUN THE EXPLORER PROGRAM AS CHIEF. NOT ONLY HAVE THEY BEEN EXPLORERS FOR YEARS BUT THEY HAVE GONE THROUGH LEADERSHIP ACADEMY'S AND HAVE DONE WHATEVER IS IN THERE POWER TO MAKE THIS PROGRAM A GOOD EXPERIENCE. BOTH THESE OTHER TWO COMMANDERS THAT WERE NOT CHOSEN HAVE BEEN THROUGH EITHER THE WHOLE CHAIN OF COMMANDS OR ALMOST THE WHOLE CHAIN OF COMMANDS. WHEN THEY WERE PROMOTED TO COMMANDERS THEY EITHER HAD THE RANK OF A CAPTAIN OR A LIEUTENANT. MEANING THAT THEY HAD WORKED HARD TO GET TO WHERE THEY ARE NOW AND HAVE BEEN LEADERS TO THEIR OWN POSTS FOR QUITE A WHILE.COMMANDER GARZA GRADUATED CLASS OF '81 AND COMMANDER MARTINEZ GRADUATED CLASS OF '84, NOW MY ONLY QUESTION TO CHIEF EARL PAYSINGER IS, WHY WHEN WE HAVE TWO COMMANDERS WHICH HAVE MUCH MORE EXPERIENCE AND A LONG TIME IN THE EXPLORER PROGRAM, IS IT THAT SOMEONE WHO JUST GRADUATED THE ACADEMY GOT SUCH A HIGH POSITION WITHOUT MUCH EXPERIENCE?

[pdhog]

Welcome to the realities of modern law enforcement and the LAPD. I guarentee you that if you come on the job you will ask youself the same question a hundred times over. Qualifications have no bearing. The consideration is perdominately to "fit". Promotions are based on criteria such as, "The get-along factor"; "This person 'looks' like the person we want the community to see promoted"; and, the biggie, "They know how to say yes and are an all around nice person". All you can do is grin, bear it, do the job to satisfy yourself. Otherwise-find a different line of work.

[?]

Welcome to LAPD explorer Perez, if u decide to pursue this career, you will see a lot of promotions just like this.

[Hernandez,M]

I PERSONALLY AGREE I THINK AND SPEAK FOR MANY OTHER EXPLORERS I WAS AN EXPLORER WHO HAD 4 YEARS ON AND THEY ASCENDED TO THE RANK OF CAPTAIN AND I PERSONALLY DISAGREE WITH THIS DECISION OF MAKING A "BRAND NEW" EXPLORER INTO THE CHIEF OF EXPLORERS, THERE WAS TWO FEMALES WHO WERE EXTREMELY MORE QUALIFIED AND EXPEREIENCED THAN THIS INDIVIUAL. MY QUESTION FOR CHIEF PAYSINGER IS WOULD YOU HAVE LIKE IT IF THE BOARD OF COMMISSION WOULD PROMOTE A BRAND NEW P-2 THAT CAME FROM ANOTHER AGENCY ALL THE WAY TO CHIEF TO TAKE YOUR FUTURE SPOT, EVEN THOUGH YOU WORKED EXREMELY HARD TO GET WHERE YOU'RE AT, AND HE OR SHE WOULD BE PROMOTED IMMEDIATELY?

[No one special..just a citizen]

When did they create a chief of explorers ? When I was in the program all we had was cadre for the academy and it was next to impossible to get on 'cause wilshire had it locked up!

Hernandez,Perez take the previous posts as truth !

Class '54 OORAH !
(God I feel old...)

[CODE ONE]

These explorers have valid points. I wonder if AC Paysinger will answer the question.

[Saucedo S]

I also agree that this decision was very unfair. I want to know how is it that two females that have more years who have work to earn each rank Corporal, Sergeant, Captain, Lieutenant and Commander couldn’t make it to Chief? I don’t have any preference but when situations like this occur it affects many motivated explorers who want to be future leaders. This is not personal but it disappoints me when decisions like this are made and the people with more years and experience are not being appreciated.

[LT.]

First of all, Explorer M Perez take an English class as your post is nearly unreadable. Since you have been an explorer for a whole three months, I am not sure who coached you to write this (I have a good idea who did) but you have been led astray. When you are in the program for longer than three months maybe you will have a better understanding of the issues. Maybe the explorer program is not for you, you will never achieve the level of competence that Chief Hernandez has and if you keep being influenced by "salty explorers" you will never succeed. Better pick your role models better. Guess jealousy is a terrible thing. Get a life!!

[Post 539]

Well, when I read these blogs it amazes me that you explorers think it's all about you. Well to tell you the truth, your wrong. I am a commander for a local department and I know what you guys mean, I've been in the explorers for quite a while I would be pissed off too. Just understand that Cheif Paysinger made the best choice he thought was right for the Explorer program. But if you don't accept and deal with this new situation then you shouldn't call yourself explorers because an Explorer has their entitled opinion but at the same time, the descisons that high ranking officials make are for a reason. So all I want to say is congradulationd to the new Cheif of Explorers.

[Exp. Alegria]

Many other explorers feel the same way about this promotion and explorer perez was brave enough to put a comment about it and yet we try to silence him. I am an explorer lieutenant myself and also a magnet cadet and I still see how unfair this promotion was why cant chief paysinger? If we allow things like this to continue, everyones hard work will become meaningless and the explorers would have been made a joke but there is still time to change all of this if we as explorers work together so if they dont listen to one of us they might listen to all of us.

[Explorer Cruz]

Hello my name is Explorer Corporal Allan Marco Cruz; I find it very disturbing of our recent appointed Chief of Explorers. This is disturbing because there are plenty of good hardworking Explorers who deserve an opportunity to become Chief, some who have been in the program for quite a while already, and others who understand the fundamentals on how Explorers should be runned. I find it disrespectful to classes before “Chief Hernandez” that she gets priority of getting Chief when she comes from Class 91, while you have Explorers’ who are Class 87 and below. Put yourself in those Explorers’ shoes and imagine how you would feel when somebody comes along, less than a year as an Explorer and all of a sudden has the job of Chief. Wouldn’t you feel upset, that this Explorer after graduating suddenly jumps from Explorer to Commander and Commander to Chief in less than a year?

[Officer Michael Pounds]

I understand the outrage of some explorers, especially the leaders who competed but did not get the position. The decision was made by Chief Pasyinger to promote Chief Hernandez based on her ability to articulate ideas that is going to help explorers and magnet move foward and get bigger and better.

I have mentored Chief Hernandez for four years as her magnet officer. I know that she is a very capable young lady. She was presented with an opportunity and was encouraged to go for it. She is currently the captain at San Pedro High Police Academy, and has been a leader in the program for three years. She has just as much or more leadership ability as any explorer. I hope that people support her ideas to enhance both programs, if not positive changes will be made with or without you. Stay positive!

[Centurion]

As a former Explorer, "Explorer Class of 44," I was delighted to hear that the Explorer program has expanded to recognize the cream of the crop Explorers by creating these top positions.

The highest responsibility an LAPD Explorer was able to obtain, during my tenur, was Batttalion Commander, during the Explorer Academy. That position only
lasted during the Academy.

I'm not familiar with the other canidates that applied for the position, however, if Exp. M. Hernandez is correct in his opinion, being only involved in
the Explorer program for less than a year cold be a slap on the face for the other Explorers who have tenure over Gloria Hernandez.

[Freddy Coba (Class ??? -1994)El Toro]

Very interesting topic. As a former Explorer, I can understand the frustation by people who disagree with the decission. After all, our parents always have said, "Hard work pays off". That is not always the case today folks. Today we live in a society where crime prevention is more effective than fighting crime. This is done by gathering smart minds and people full of new ideas to outwit criminals. You can also apply this tactic to struggling businesses that need a creative leader to turn it around, as oppossed to a hard working Manager whos been in the job for 5 years. I agree with the decission. SOUTHWEST 1113 BABY!!!