DOWNEY - John Finch, who retired as chief of the Downey Police Department in 2005, has been named assistant dean of criminal justice at Santa Ana College.Finch had served as the interim assistant dean since March 2010. Finch started as a police officer in Downey in 1975, earning promotions to sergeant, lieutenant and captain, before he was named police chief by city manager Gerald Caton in 2000. After retirement from the Downey Police Department, Finch worked as an instructor at the Criminal Justice Academy at Santa Ana College, helping train deputies with the Orange County Sheriff's Department. He holds a master's degree in public administration from Cal State Long Beach, a B.A. in management from the University of Redlands, and an associate degree in administration of justice from Cerritos College. He is also an FBI National Academy graduate.

********** Published: December 22, 2011 - Volume 10 - Issue 36