Angela Averiett was appointed Los Altos police chief on Tuesday, effective August 1. She will succeed Andy Galea, who served as chief of police for the past five years.
Averiett most recently served as the deputy chief for the Bay Area Rapid Transit Police Department, which oversaw the safety of over 400,000 daily riders of the BART.
Throughout her law enforcement career, Averiett has focused on crisis response and community policing.
While deputy chief of BART PD, she created and oversaw the Progressive Policing and Community Engagement Bureau, which responds to drug overdoses, mental health challenges, homelessness and other personal crises.
Previously, at the Hayward Police Department, she served in the internal affairs, community policing and gang units. She was also team leader for critical incident stress management and assistant team leader for the hostage negotiations unit.
In Hayward, she revitalized the neighborhood watch program and received recognition from the Alameda County and the Southern Alameda County NAACP for her work on the barbershop forum, an initiative aiming to bring together law enforcement and the communities they serve.
Averiett holds a bachelor’s degree in Leadership and Organizational Studies from St. Mary’s College. She also graduated from the Alameda County and Los Angeles PD Leadership Academies.
“I am humbled to serve the Los Altos community as the police chief and eager to get to work,” Averiett said. “My commitment to safety, accountability, fairness and equity will strive to ensure the well-being of all who live, work and travel through Los Altos.”