LOS ANGELES PORT POLICE BUILDS ON GOAL OF
HIRING TOP QUALITY RECRUITS

Two Newest Hires Earn Top Honors at Los Angeles Police Academy

SAN PEDRO, Calif. – Sept. 20, 2016 – Los Angeles Port Police have sworn in two new officers, Miguel Cueva and Matthew O’Keefe, both of whom earned top honors at the Los Angeles Police Academy. The addition of Officers Cueva and O’Keefe continues the Port Police’s efforts to hire diverse and qualified officers in order to ensure the safety and security of the nation’s busiest container port.

“During this challenging time in the law enforcement profession, we are excited to have these two extremely talented young officers join our ranks,” said Los Angeles Port Police Chief Thomas Gazsi. “We look forward to their contributions to the force, as they join the nearly 130 sworn officers of our extraordinary Port Police, one of the finest maritime law enforcement agencies in the United States.”

Born in Inglewood, California, Officer Cueva served in the United States Marine Corps Reserves and as a community services officer for the El Camino College Campus Police.  Officer Cueva earned the top Human Relations Award at the Los Angeles Police Academy during his training. He is a father of a three-year old son.

Officer Matthew O’Keefe was born and raised in Boston. At the Los Angeles Police Academy, he earned the top Academic Award for his class, and was assigned as squad leader for the entire Academy and graduated in that position.

Officers O’Keefe and Cueva will now begin a six-month Port law-enforcement-specific field training program, administered under the guidance of a field training officer. Once this next-level training is completed, they will be assigned to the Port Police Patrol Operations Division.

In addition to its sworn officers, the Los Angeles Port Police includes 37 security officers and nearly 41 civilian professional staff. As one of few law enforcement agencies in the nation dedicated exclusively to 24-hour port policing, the Los Angeles Port Police are responsible for maintaining the free flow of commerce in a safe, secure environment that promotes uninterrupted Port operations.

The Port of Los Angeles is America’s premier port and has a strong commitment to developing innovatively strategic and sustainable operations that benefit Southern California’s economy and quality of life. North America’s leading seaport by container volume and cargo value, the Port of Los Angeles facilitated $270 billion in trade during 2015. Port operations and commerce facilitate more than 133,000 jobs (about one in 14) in the City of Los Angeles and 479,000 jobs (or one in 18) in the five-county Southern California region. The San Pedro Bay Ports support nearly 1 million California jobs and 2.8 million nationwide.