SANTA ANA, Ca. (March 3, 2023): The Orange County Sheriff’s Department on Wednesday, Feb. 22, promoted 18 personnel in a ceremony held at the Orange County Sheriff’s Regional Training Academy, including a new Commander.
Commander Kirsten Monteleone will be assigned to Southeast Operations, overseeing the cities of Lake Forest, Mission Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita, and the county’s south unincorporated areas. She also will lead the School Mobile Assessment and Resource Team (SMART), Field Training Bureau, the South Directed Enforcement Team and General Crimes Investigations.
She assumed her new role Feb. 24.
“Commander Monteleone’s work ethic and dedication to public service is reflected in the way she leads,” said Don Barnes, Orange County Sheriff-Coroner. “Those attributes combined with her operational experience and skill set will serve the communities of Southeast Orange County very well.”
Commander Monteleone joined the department in 1999 and first served in Custody Operations then Patrol Operations, working in the cities of Laguna Niguel and Dana Point. Other assignments in her tenure include the Field Training Bureau and SAFE (Strategy. Accountability. Focus. Evaluation.). Upon promoting to Lieutenant in 2019, she was assigned to the Theo Lacy Jail as the Watch Commander.
For the last four years, Commander Monteleone served as the Chief of Police Services for the city of Dana Point, responsible for providing public safety services to more than 34,000 residents.
Commander Monteleone has a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice and a bachelor’s degree in German from California State University, Fullerton and a master’s degree in Emergency Services Administration from California State University, Long Beach.
Four investigators, eight sergeants and five lieutenants also were promoted and began their new assignments on Feb. 24.
“Each promotee serves as a leader in this organization and I look forward to the positive impacts they will have on the community,” Sheriff Barnes said.
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