Leslie Murray to become Downey's first female police chief

Leslie Murray was selected as Downey’s next police chief. (Photo by Eric Pierce)

DOWNEY – Downey police captain Leslie Murray was appointed Downey’s new chief of police Tuesday, effective next month.

City Manager Gilbert Livas announced the hiring during Tuesday’s City Council meeting.

Murray will become Downey’s first female police chief when she is sworn into the position.

She replaces Dean Milligan, who is retiring after nearly 30 years with the Downey Police Department.

Murray grew up in Downey, attending Lewis Elementary and South Middle School before graduating from Downey High School in 1986.

She joined the Downey Police Department as a recruit and steadily climbed the ranks.

In 1995, she was promoted to the detective bureau, and in 2000 she was named a sergeant, the first female sergeant in the department’s history.

In 2019, she became the department’s first female captain.

“I think I always had that drive to continue to learn and develop,” Murray told the Downey Patriot in 2019. “You do so many years in a particular assignment, and you get to that point where you think, ‘Ok, what else can I do?’ I want to constantly learn.”