Chief Pat Walsh started his career in the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department in 1984.  In 1991, he moved to the Pacific Northwest and began working for the Portland Police Bureau.  While with the Portland Police Bureau, Chief Walsh worked a variety of assignments to include gang enforcement, narcotics, patrol, office of accountability and professional standards, tactical operations, chief’s adjutant, executive officer and the compliance coordinator for the federal settlement agreement between the United States Department of Justice and Portland.

In 2014, Chief Walsh became the Chief of Police for the Lompoc Police Department in Lompoc, California.  Chief Walsh was the region representative for the California Police Chiefs Association during his tenure in Lompoc.  As the representative, Chief Walsh represented municipal police chiefs in San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura Counties.

In April 2019, Chief Walsh was chosen to be the first police chief of the Menifee Police Department.  Chief Walsh joins a small number of police chiefs that have had the opportunity to create a police department.  In this role, Walsh has endeavored not only to create a department, but also to create a positive, innovative and inclusive culture.

Chief Walsh has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Concordia University in Management Communications and Leadership and a Master’s degree in Security Studies from the Naval Postgraduate School, Center for Homeland Defense and Security.

Chief Walsh wrote his master’s thesis on building trust between the community and the police.  His thesis is titled, “A Practitioner’s Guide to Trust and Legitimacy.” Chief Walsh is committed to the study of police procedures and the ever-changing science and practices that strengthen the profession.