John Ortolano Hobbs, NM 88240 (623)340-6512

johnorty@aim.com  linkedin.com/in/john-ortolano-b9552943/

February 27th, 2021

Dear City of Pensacola and Mr. Peterson:

As a Chief of Police l have a proven background in leading, building trust with the community, and using my background
in criminal investigations, patrol, and in administrative rolls to build the effectiveness of a police agency.

I currently serve as a Chief of Police of the sixth largest City police department in New Mexico. Hobbs is a City of
approximately 50,000 residents and encompasses just over 20 square miles. My agency of 160 personnel has an
approximate $23 Million dollar budget. Hobbs is an extremely ethnically diverse community with approximately two-
thirds of the community being ethnic minorities.

In my tenure as Chief of police I have built a strong bond between the community and the police department. Prior to my
arrival there existed a strained relationship particularly between the African-American community and the police. My
strong working relationships with community leaders has definitely paid dividends in assuring that the best possible
service is being provided to our community. The community has praised my actions to hold all levels of the police
department accountable. All to often leaders in policing talk about accountability, but do little to actually make it a reality.
I have launched new programs to provide extra officers to target neighborhood specific crimes as well as starting other
programs aimed at building trust with the children in the community.

As Chief of police I have increased employee retention, recruitment, and increased staffing levels to the highest they have
been in five years. Complaints and legal action filed against the police department have plummeted since I assumed the
role as Chief of police. I have been able to successfully resolve long standing problems that existed before my arrival
between the employee union and police leadership. City elected officials are so impressed with my leadership abilities
and “Can do” attitude that they transferred even more responsibilities to my command from other City departments to
include: Community Services, Code Enforcement, Animal Control, and the Animal Adoption Center.

My abilities as Chief led for my nomination and selection to serve on the President’s Commission on Law Enforcement and
the Administration of Justice.

I proudly served for over 21 years with the Arizona Department of Public Safety prior to becoming the Chief of Police for
Hobbs. I served in command level positions over the State Gang Task Force in Phoenix, Executive Officer at the largest
police academy in Arizona, District Commander for the central Phoenix area as well as for the entire southwest region of
the State. My command level experience is extremely varied and has enabled me to identify problematic areas requiring
corrective action in policing.
It is with confidence that I submit my resume for consideration to become a member of your team. In addition to my
formal training, my 22 year history of hands-on experiences makes me an excellent match for the unique demands of the
Chief of Police position you have advertised. In my current position I work closely with other municipal police departments,
Sheriff’s Departments, State & Federal law enforcement agencies. I am well versed with community policing and building
trust between the police department and the community we serve. I am deeply involved with 21st Century Policing and
even testified before the 21st Century Policing Task Force on the topic of continuing training for police officers. I have
served as a 21st Century Policing and “Blue Courage” instructor for existing officers and police recruits.

I proudly served on active duty in the US Navy for six years and I am aware of the challenges and opportunities of having
a military installation in a community. Additionally, as a police District Commander in AZ, Marine Corps Air Station Yuma
was in my area of command.

I currently own a home in Florida and many of my relatives reside in Florida. It is my desire to have my final career
accomplishments where I intend on retiring.

I believe that my skillset matches the needs of Pensacola to make it into a center of excellence for others to try to imitate.
I truly believe that my background and extensive police networking experience around the country will allow me to attract
the “Best of the best” applicants to join our team.

My resume provides further detail on my talent for team collaboration and passion for problem solving; it is my goal to
apply these skills to the progress of a growing organization. I look forward to discussing how I can benefit your
organization. In the interim, thank you for reviewing this letter and the attached material.

Sincerely,

John Ortolano
 John J. Ortolano
(623)340-6512 johnorty@aim.com
linkedin.com/in/john-ortolano-b9552943

Chief of Police
22+ years’ successful leadership and support of state and local level public safety and law enforcement
programs.

Chief law enforcement official focused on the strategic leadership in the analysis, trending, and investigation of high-
profile criminal and gang incidents while leading law enforcement operations at the municipal and State levels. Skilled in
the practical application of processes and procedures, problem resolution, data analysis, and the training and
development of law enforcement officers. Expertise in the development and implementation of high-impacting public
safety programs.

Areas of Expertise
• Law Enforcement Command Level Leadership • Gang Suppression & Vice Operations
• Leadership & Development • Training & Facilitation
• Process Design & Management • Law Enforcement Agency Collaboration
• Criminal Investigations • Criminal Interviewing
• Program Development & Administration • Critical Incident Management
• Project Management • Financial & Budgetary Management
• Performance Management • Public Safety Administration
• 21st Century Policing & Community Policing • Labor/Employee Management

Professional Hobbs Police Department September 2019 to Present Hobbs, NM

Experience
Chief of Police September 2019 to Present

• Serves as Chief of Police of the 160 person department for the City of Hobbs, NM which
has a population of approximately 50,000 people in an area of 20 square miles. The
annual call volume is over 40,000. Hobbs has the 6th largest municipal police agency in
NM.
• Responsible for an approximate $23 million dollar budget.
• Serves as a committee member of the President’s Commission on Law Enforcement and
the Administration of Justice.
• Serves as a member on the New Mexico Municipal League’s Public Safety Committee.
• Serves on the Board of Directors for the Lea County Communication Authority which
provides public safety dispatch services for the entire county.
• Serves as a board member of the Lea County Drug Task Force.
• Serves as a member of the Lea County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council.
• Serves as a voting member in the local HIDTA.
• Recognized in the community for increasing the Department’s community policing and
raising the level of trust with the police department.
• Recognized by minority groups and community activists as a police leader with
impeccable integrity and being responsible for building trust between the community and
the police department.
• Conducted an agency audit and restructuring to better serve the community and the
Department’s employees.
• Took an underperforming agency with high turnover which existed for over five years
and turned it into a center of excellence with an increase of certified officers of almost
30% in less than a year.
• Developed agency’s first Strategic Plan.
• Increased agency’s use of technology and information tracking.
 • Serve on City’s Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations team.
• Extensive collective bargaining training.
• Excellent working relationships with City Manager, Mayor, and City Commission
(Council), and community leaders.
• Serves on National Institute of Justice’s Special Technical Committee for Ballistic
Resistant Armor.
• Expanded capabilities of agency’s real time intelligence center.
• Rolled out innovative new programs for the police department to include a
“Neighborhood Enforcement Team”, Traffic Unit, Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion
Program, and programs for increasing positive interactions between officers and
children, and new community outreach initiatives.
• Complaints against officers by the community have decreased while complimentary
correspondence has dramatically increased.
• Recently was given more responsibility by to City by having the Code Enforcement and
Animal Control departments transferred to the police department.

Arizona Dept. of Public Safety (DPS) June 1998 to Aug 2019 Phoenix, AZ

Captain September 2014 to August 2019

Sergeant May 2004 to September 2014

Officer June 1998 to May 2004

 Served as the Criminal Investigations Division, Gang Enforcement Bureau, Central

District Commander. This multi-agency State Gang Task Force serves the Phoenix
metropolitan area and deters criminal gang activity through the enforcement of state
laws, in-depth criminal investigations, and intelligence-led policing. Extremely involved
with community policing and working in a full-service police agency environment.
 Awarded Director’s Citation for Professional Excellence
 Awarded Director’s Commendation
 Well versed at planning and managing work groups comprised of sworn and civilian
employees from municipal police agencies, State Troopers, and Federal Agents.
 Generated complex reports which analyzing employee and work unit productivity.
 Assisted with development of agency strategic plan.
 Served as Mobile Field Force Unit Commander over arrest, “Cut”, and detention teams.
Command level Incident Command System (ICS) trained.
 Served as Patrol Division’s District Commander in Central Phoenix and District Four-
Arizona Patrol Districts. Proficient in leading work groups in both rural and urban
policing environments while fostering inter-agency police relations.
 Served as the Phoenix Regional Police Academy’s (PRPA) Executive Officer. This
academy was formerly known as the Arizona Law Enforcement Academy’s (ALEA). I
was tasked with managing up to five recruit classes with up to 220 recruits from over 30
different police agencies. Trained over 1,000 recruits. Duties included curriculum
development for recruit basic training within Arizona Peace Officer Standards and
Training (AZPOST) standards, integrating “21st Century” Policing aspects into police
training. I served as a “Blue Courage” certified instructor. I was tasked with managing
several agency specific budgets as well as part of a multi-agency academy budget. I
served as an AZPOST instructor for various courses taught at recruit level as well as in
service programs for certified officers. Well versed working in a multi-agency
environment while representing DPS’ interests concerning recruit training.
 Experienced in disciplinary review and performance documentation.
 Served as an Adjunct faculty for Rio Salado College’s PRPA partnership.
 Testified before the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing on area of police
training and education.
John Ortolano
21908 W Beloat Rd, Buckeye AZ 85326 (623)340-6512 johnorty@aim.com
  National Institute of Justice (NIJ) Ballistic Resistant Body Armor –Special Technical
Committee member. Tasked with developing next standard of body armor for police and
military.
 Agency representative on the NIJ’s “Smart Gun Technologies” Committee.
 Member of Governor’s Peace Officer Employment Study Committee- Tasked with
examining police officer recruitment and retention.
 Member of Governor’s State Employee Professionalism and Development Committee.
 Frequently attended meetings with both Federal and State elected officials as well as the
AZPOST Executive Director.
 Testified numerous times in front of State legislature on various law enforcement and
budget issues.
 Extremely experienced in the resolution of employee labor & grievance issues.
 Involved with State budgeting along with Federal and State legislative processes. Meet
frequently with State and Federal elected officials on various police, labor, budget, and
legislative issues.
 Supervised dozens of RICO seizures with millions of dollars in cash seizures and tons of
contraband seized.
 Proficient in Critical Incident scene management.
 Served on various agency committees to review/update/initiate policies & procedures to
include: Pursuit Operations, Basic Supervision Instruction, Drug Free Workplace, Photo
Enforcement, Uniform and Equipment, Metro Highway Patrol Re-organization, Speed
Measurement Devices, Employee Transfer Policy, State Employee Performance Pay,
Secondary/Off Duty Employment, Agency Strategic Planning, Employee Morale Survey
 Served as a mentor for newly promoted personnel.
 Advanced Basic Academy Instructor, AZPOST General Instructor and specialized instructor
 Active in development of employee “Support Observer” program
 Proficient in investigating Professional Standards cases
 Assisted with new hire background investigations
 Developed curriculum for “Citizen’s Police Academy”
 Direct meetings with agency Director and Executive Staff on agency issues.
 Developed “Traffic Safety Awareness” Program used by AZ Dept of Corrections.
 Experienced in dealing with the media, the public, and elected officials
 Testified before numerous legislative committees on law enforcement and budgeting issues.
Sampling of Police Training Completed: Have over 2,000 hours of police training
DPS Advanced Basic Academy Arizona Leadership Program
Police Supervision I & II ICS 100, 200, 300, 700, 800 courses
Advanced Collision Investigation Basic Supervision
Police Auditing 7 Habits for Law Enforcement
Detective
The National Center for Campus Public Safety-Physical Security Education Program
Arizona Law Enforcement Academy Graduate
Southeastern New Mexico Law Enforcement Academy “Certification by Waiver” Graduate

Fraternal Order of Police

 FOP State Lodge President & National Trustee (2011 to 2019)
 National Chairman of Safety & Technology Committee (2017 to Present)
 Arizona Labor Council State Representative (2005 to 2010)
 300+ hours of training on negotiations, labor, contracts, and legal issues

John Ortolano
21908 W Beloat Rd, Buckeye AZ 85326 (623)340-6512 johnorty@aim.com
 Proven leader in private sector prior to entering law enforcement:
 Supervised entire college degree program at private technical college.
 Served as Chamber of Commerce representative for college.
 Supervised private co-generation power plant.

Military Service
02/87 to 02/93 US Navy- Petty Officer, Second Class
 Desert Storm Combat Veteran
 Naval Nuclear Power School Graduate

08/83 to 12/86 US Army National Guard

• Combat Medical Specialist - Honor Graduate

American Military University, Charles Town, WV 2015

Education M.A Criminal Justice-with Honors Area of Concentration: Emergency Management and Disaster
Management

Empire State College, Buffalo, NY 1996

B. S. Science, Math & Technology Area of Concentration: Power Plant Technology

Empire State College, Buffalo, NY 1994

A.S. Science, Math & Technology Area of Concentration: Electronics Technology

Professional City of Tonawanda, NY 1995

Licenses First Class Stationary Engineer’s License- Power Plant Operations
Held

City of Buffalo, NY 1994

Second Class Stationary Engineer’s License- Power Plant Operations

John Ortolano
21908 W Beloat Rd, Buckeye AZ 85326 (623)340-6512 johnorty@aim.com
John Ortolano
1902 N Orchid Dr.
Hobbs, NM 88240
(623)340-6512

References:

Louis Tovar

tiolouie@aol.com

(602)320-4626

Bryan Chapman

Bryan.chapman@phoenix.gov

(602)316-0929

David Leibowitz

david@leibowitzsolo.com

(602)317-1414

Marty Sigmund

martysigmund@gmail.com

(623)236-5512

Sean Mattson

Sean.azfop@gmail.com

(602)509-3252