Al Venegas was promoted to captain by the Santa Monica Police Department in a ceremony before a near-capacity audience in City Council Chambers on Tuesday, November 13. Venegas becomes one of three captains in the department, where he will head the Office of Special Enforcement.
Police Chief Tim Jackman presided over the promotions ceremony, which also recognized the elevation of Salvador Lucio and Robert Hernandez to the rank of sergeant and Dulce Gomez to the position of Traffic Services Supervisor. Dr. Wally Ghurabi, medical director of the emergency room at Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center and Orthopaedic Hospital, was also officially recognized as SMPD Medical Director, although he has been working in that capacity for some time.
The opportunity for the promotions arose when former SMPD Captain Jacqueline Seabrooks was named Chief of Police for the City of Inglewood. Jackman said that he was pleased that all five candidates considered for the captaincy were “such extraordinary people.” The selection process included written examination and interviews; the final call was Chief Jackman’s.
