The History of the Burbank Police Department

The Early Years

Law enforcement in Burbank began in 1911 with the creation of the City Marshal’s Office. It operated until 1927, when a change in the city charter transformed it into the Burbank Police Department. In those first sixteen years, the Marshal’s Office was led by nine different Chief Marshals and a small number of deputies.

Those early years were not without tragedy. Marshal Luther Colson and Deputy City Marshal Robert L. Normand were the first Burbank officers killed in the line of duty. Colson was shot and killed on the evening of November 16, 1914, while walking along the railroad tracks near what is now Victory Place and Lake Street. Six years later, in 1920, Normand was killed after responding to a call to investigate three men sitting in a car with its lights off. As he and another deputy approached, the men opened fire. The other deputy survived despite three gunshot wounds, but Normand died at the scene.

 

The First Chiefs of Police (1927–1932)

The first official Chief of Police appointment took place on August 15, 1927, when Malcolm G. Lowry took office. Some credit George Cole as the first Chief, retroactively, since he was serving as City Marshal when the department transitioned to the Burbank Police Department.

Two more chiefs followed Lowry until April 15, 1932, when Elmer Adams became Chief. Adams served for nearly twenty years. His tenure made headlines for alleged ties to organized crime, including connections to gangster Mickey Cohen, rumors of a mob hideout on Orange Grove Terrace, and illegal gambling halls in the rancho area. In 1951, the California Crime Commission began investigating Chief Adams and others in the city. Three days after refusing to answer questions about his income and underworld connections, Adams resigned, followed shortly by the city manager and a councilman.

With no succession plan, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department loaned Hugh C. McDonald to oversee operations. During McDonald’s 1952 term, the Animal Shelter opened.

 

Chief Rex R. Andrews and the Monahan Murder (1953–1971)

On January 1, 1953, Rex R. Andrews became Chief of Police. Just three months later, Burbank saw one of its most infamous crimes: the murder of 64-year-old widow Mabel Monahan. Barbara Graham, later known as “Bloody Babs,” and her accomplices, believed Monahan had a hidden Las Vegas gambling fortune in her home. When Monahan answered her door, Graham forced her way in. A gardener later found the home ransacked, with a trail of blood leading to Monahan’s beaten body in a closet.

In 1961, the department moved into its new headquarters at Olive and Third. That same year, two motorcycle officers, Richard E. Kunkle and Joseph R. Wilson, died in separate traffic accidents. Their deaths, in the very circumstances they worked to prevent, deepened the department’s commitment to traffic safety. Andrews retired in 1971.

 

Chiefs Loranger and Shaffer (1971–1982)

Robert C. Loranger served until 1976, followed by James Shaffer. During this era, the department embraced team policing, created a police cadet program, launched citizen ride-alongs, and updated the vice/narcotics bureau and communications center. The School Resource Officer program began, teaching what was then the Impact program (now DARE), and the JAB/Neighborhood Watch program launched with federal funding. They also worked with local ministers to begin a police chaplain program

In 1981, while Shaffer was still Chief, Burbank machinist Lawrence Bittaker was convicted of the kidnapping and murder of five teenage girls, in a trial notable as the first felony case in California to allow TV cameras in the courtroom over a defendant’s objection. Today, he is still on Death Row.  His partner-in-crime, Roy Norris, was spared the death penalty.

Shaffer died of cancer in 1982.

 

Chief Glen Bell and Technological Advances (1982–1990)

Captain Glen Bell became Chief after Shaffer’s death. Under Bell, the department grew to 150 officers and 80 civilian employees. New technology brought computer-based report writing, upgraded radio systems, and other efficiencies. The Golden Mall policing program began, and early versions of the helicopter program and gang detail were introduced.

 

Chief David P. Newsham and Modernization (1990–2000)

Bell retired in 1990, succeeded by David P. Newsham, who expanded the helicopter program, added a uniform bike patrol, park ranger program, and the Special Response Team (SRT). The weekly “Street Beat” TV program improved community outreach. Under his leadership, the new police/fire headquarters at Third Street and Orange Grove Avenue was completed, opening on January 8, 1998. Newsham retired in 2000.

 

Chief Thomas K. Hoefel and the Death of Officer Pavelka (2000–2007)

Thomas K. Hoefel served until 2007. Early in his term, the department reached a record high of 168 officers and over 100 civilian employees.

On November 15, 2003, Officer Matt Pavelka was killed and Officer Greg Campbell critically wounded during a drug investigation at the Ramada Inn — the first Burbank officer killed in the line of duty since 1921. One suspect died at the scene; the other fled to Mexico, but was later captured, pled guilty, and received life without parole.

Over the next 18 months, law enforcement agencies dismantled the gang's infrastructure. The investigative net was wide and led to the arrest and later resignation of Burbank City Councilmember, Stacy Murphy. The capstone of the effort was “Operation Silent Night,” the largest single tactical event in California history, with over 1,000 officers serving more than 50 warrants in a single day. It was followed up later on a smaller scale by “Operation Swift Intruder."

 

Chief Tim Stehr and Community Outreach (2007–2009)

Chief Tim Stehr took command in August 2007. Despite budget cuts and reduced staffing during an economic downturn, proactive policing lowered the crime rate. Stehr expanded community outreach with the “Youth Rewards” initiative and grew the police cadet program, where he had started his career. He retired in 2009.

 

Chief Scott LaChasse and Department Reforms (2010–2021)

After Stehr’s retirement, retired LAPD Deputy Chief Scott LaChasse became Interim Chief — the first external appointment since 1976. He brought in experienced administrators and focused on improving service and trust with the community. LaChasse was officially sworn in as Chief in 2013 and served until July 2021.

 

Chief Michael Albanese (2021–2025)

Michael Albanese joined BPD in 2010 as a Captain, was promoted to Deputy Chief in 2015, and became Interim Chief in 2021 before being appointed permanently later that year. He retired in February 2025.

 

Chief Rafael Quintero (2025–Present)

On February 26, 2025, City Manager Justin Hess appointed Rafael Quintero as Chief of Police. Quintero came from the Glendale Police Department, where he served in multiple roles over 23 years. With more than 25 years in law enforcement, he brings extensive experience in public safety leadership to Burbank.