After serving as Interim Police Chief since the departure of Manny Cid, Jason Sims was confirmed by the Culver City council in closed session at the meeting on May 15, 2023.
Culver City has a tradition of promoting from within the ranks; the last Chief to serve from another agency was Don Pedersen, who came from the Los Angeles County Sheriff, and left in 2014 after eight years as Chief to serve as Assistant Inspector General for the County of Los Angeles. Pedersen was succeeded by Scott Bixby, an officer with the CCPD who had served for decades. Bixby left under a medical leave that became a retirement in 2020, and was succeeded by Manny Cid, another long time CCPD employee. Cid left to take on the Chief Job at Glendale Police Department at the beginning of 2023, moving Sims into the Interim position.
The controversy over the promote-from-within policy has to do with the ethical position that city employment should be open to all, and that any job of this stature should require a broader search. Further complicating the issue, Mayor Albert Vera, Jr. has a family member working for the CCPD, and so ethically should have recused himself from voting on the matter. That the vote was taken in closed session likely reflects on the privacy requirements of personnel issues.
Sims has a good relationship with the community, having led the public meetings Chief Cid required in regard to the department using drones, and is known for his earnest and approachable manner. Sims also led the recent community meeting on Racial and Identity Profiling statistics.
According to the biographical information posted on the Culver City Police website, Sims grew up in Ventura. He has been a member of the Culver City Police Department since 2000, when he was hired as a officer, and worked as a Patrol Officer and as an investigator with our Crime Impact Team, Special Victims’ Unit, and our Robbery Homicide Section. In 2007, Sims was promoted to Sergeant, and worked Patrol, Detectives, and Parking. Sims was promoted to Lieutenant in 2013, serving as a Patrol Watch Commander, Professional Standards Lieutenant, and Traffic Lieutenant. As part of these assignments, he conducted internal administrative investigations and served as our Department’s media and community relations liaison. In 2017, Sims was promoted to Captain. As a Captain, Jason has overseen the Operations, Investigations and Administration Bureaus. Sims was promoted to the rank of Assistant Chief of Police in 2020.
Sims holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology from California State University Northridge, and a Master’s Degree in Public Policy and Administration from California Lutheran University. He has attended numerous professional development programs including: The Sherman Block Supervisory Institute, The Los Angeles Police Department’s Leadership Program, The Senior Management Institute for Police and he is a graduate of the FBI National Academy (Class #264).
Sims has been the recipient of the Culver City Police Department’s Special Recognition Award and the Distinguished Service Medal. He enjoys physical fitness and was a sixteen year member of our Baker to Vegas Team.
He has also participated in the California and Nevada Police Olympics in softball and submission wrestling.
Sims will be Culver City’s 27th Chief of Police.
Judith Martin-Straw
