by Timothy Rutt
Altadena Sheriff Capt. Steven McLean isn’t slowing down pre-retirement.
“My Blackberry has not stopped since that night,” McLean said.
“That night” was his formal announcement at Tuesday’s Altadena Town Council meeting that he would retire after almost two years as the commander of Altadena’s sheriff station. The unexpected news turned into an outpouring of affection and respect for McLean, a 32-year veteran of the sheriff’s department who agreed that the prospect of retirement came quickly.
PIctured: McLean was an operations lieutenant when he was tapped for Altadena's captain in 2010.
McLean said that he had gotten a letter from his pension board two weeks ago that told him “if you’re even close to retirement and can retire before 2013, do it.” After looking over the options -- and telling his wife, who finally agreed to it -- McLean met with Sheriff Lee Baca last week to let him know.
“He could not have been more gracious,” McLean said. “He said since you were in Altadena, I didn’t have to worry about what’s going on down there.”
“For me, it was a matter of [pride], to get out at the top of my game,” he said. “I’m still young enough to do other things.”
“Other things” include transferring his experience to the private sector. It may not be hard -- McLean said that, after he made his announcement, two individual made offers before he even left the building.
As a matter of fact, “I have a lot of offers, but don’t want to work 24/7 ... I’ll be on the three day plan. If I don’t like it three days in a row, I quit.”
McLean already holds a part-time position as director of public safety for a college he declines to identify (but Google has no secrets). That job involves acting as liaison between the college and public agencies, arranging training for college credits, and writing curricula.
PIctured: Town councilman Greg Middleton talks to McLean at an open house for Danny's Farm in 2010.
What advice would he give to his successor?
“I spent two years of my life here, I’m part of the community and I know what it takes to be successful,” he said. “I will not leave Altadena until I introduce (the new captain) to the key figures. That person is going to know what it takes, going in, to be successful.”
Foremost: “If you are in Altadena, you need to be engaged, approachable, and available 24/7,” McLean said. “If you don’t make that commitment, you have no business being here." Also, he said, accept the fact that “you’re going to make mistakes.”
What does he look at as his major accomplishment? “There’s no doubt the reduction in crime is a part of the list,” he said. “Equal to that is the relationships I’ve been able to build, the trust I’ve been able to hold.”
McLean also takes pride in the relationships he’s built with his deputies. “Some of them have said, ‘I would go through the gates of hell for you, Captain,’” McLean said.
Where does he think he felt short? “I want to see our VIDA program through,” Mc Lean said, referring to Vital Intervention Directional Alternatives, a program for at-risk youth. “Right now we get a lot of students, but only graduate a few.
“Number two is to get more training for the deputies. I think professional development for them is better for their careers and better for their job.”
What he is most proud of, he said, is that “Nobody ever questioned my character or integrity,” McLean said. “That’s the thing I’m proudest of in 32 years.”
PIctured: McLean goes down in the dunking tank at the National Night Out, Aug. 2, 2011.
