Candidate for
Council Member; City of Los Angeles; District 9

Deputy Chief Terry S. Hara is the Commanding Officer of Personnel and Training Bureau (PTB). As the Commanding Officer of PTB, he is responsible for overseeing the administration of human resources for the Department and the training of police recruits and "in-service training" for both sworn and civilian employees.

Deputy Chief Hara joined the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) in February 1980. He is the highest ranking and first Asian American to achieve the rank of Deputy Chief on the LAPD. He was first introduced to law enforcement as a Police Explorer Scout with the Long Beach Police Department. As a result of his continued interest in law enforcement, he applied and was accepted to the LAPD. He has held numerous positions and worked various assignments within the Police Department. Some of these assignments included undercover work as a narcotics officer (school buy program), uniformed patrol, traffic accident investigator and motor officer. Additionally, Deputy Chief Hara has worked as a staff writer for the Use of Force Review Section and held the position of Uniform Coordinator and Work Permit Coordinator. He has also worked as a patrol supervisor, as a supervisor of academics for recruit training, personnel complaint investigator, and lieutenant patrol watch commander. He has held the position of Aide (Adjutant) to the Commander of Training Group, Adjutant to the Commanding Officer, Human Resources Bureau, and Adjutant to the Chief of Staff.

His previous command assignments include Operations-West Bureau, Employees Relations Group, Training Group and Training Division, Southeast and Wilshire Divisions, where he commanded Detectives, Patrol, Vice, Gang Units and Community Relations. Prior to Southeast Division he commanded Detective Support Division where he was in charge of the Bomb Squad, Asian Crime Investigation Section, Fugitive Warrant Section, Special Investigation Section, Criminal Conspiracy Section, FBI task force on violent crime, Audit Section, Criminal Investigation Section on counter terrorism, and Career Criminal Apprehension Section.

Deputy Chief Hara was previously the Department's Employee Relations Administrator (ERA) for the Chief of Police. As the ERA, he was responsible for serving as official liaison between Department management and employee organizations. Additionally, he was responsible for investigating and resolving grievance matters at the Chief of Police level of review. Reviewing all requests for administrative transfers and providing a recommendation to the Chief of Police.

Deputy Chief Hara has worked at numerous assignments within the Police Department that include Personnel Division, Wilshire, Southeast, Southwest, Newton and Harbor Areas, South and Central Traffic Divisions, Detective Support Division, Internal Affairs Group, Training Division, Training Group, Human Resources Bureau, Employee Relations Group, Operations-West Bureau and the Office of the Chief of Police.

Deputy Chief Hara holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from National University, and has attended California State University, Long Beach, Department of Criminal Justice, and the University of California Los Angeles Graduate School of Education and Information Sciences and School of Public Policy and Social Research. He is also a graduate of the Senior Management Institute for Police Program from the Police Executive Research Forum at Boston University. He is also a graduate from the FBI Explosives Unit-Bomb Data Center Hazardous Devices School, Executive Management Course. Deputy Chief Hara is a graduate of the Department's West Point Leadership and Command Program. He is a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police. He is Chairman of the Board for the Los Angeles Police Historical Society. Deputy Chief Hara is past president of the Nisei Week Foundation and the Japanese American Optimist Club of Los Angeles. He is Vice Chair and Chairman-Elect for Japan America Society of Southern California, Vice Chair of Go For Broke National Education Center and serves as a board member for the Japanese Chamber of Commerce of Southern California. Deputy Chief Hara is a member of the Law Enforcement Association of Asian Pacifics, California Asian Peace Officer Association and Asian Professional Exchange.

Among receiving many awards and recognitions, Deputy Chief Hara was the recipient of the "Spirit of Los Angeles" award by the Mayor of the City of Los Angeles. More recently he was honored with the Local Heroes Award by KCET and Union Bank. Deputy Chief Hara is married to his wife Gayle, a Deputy City Attorney for the City of Los Angeles, and has two children, son Mark and daughter Kimberly.