Police Chief Lori Luhnow spoke with emotion as she gave her farewell report to the Santa Barbara City Council Tuesday morning, January 26. On the state of policing, she said, “You have amazing officers. Don’t forget them. Because of them, I am in a position where I’m going to move on and feel comfortable.”
After a 35-year career in law enforcement — five spent at the helm of the Santa Barbara Police Department — Luhnow will retire as a sworn officer two weeks from now to pursue her passion for police wellness, emphasizing fitness and nutrition and offering little tolerance for bagels, let alone doughnuts.
The year 2020, Luhnow reported, was one “like no other.” COVID-19 claimed the lives of 208 law enforcement officers nationwide. Within her department, the number of COVID cases stayed in “single digits.” Safety and hygiene was stressed. Her officers drove to Fresno when disinfectants were hard to find here. “If it sounds like I’m bragging,” she told the council, “it’s because I am.”