Staff Report
Santa Barbara County Undersheriff Bernard Melekian is the new chairman of the board for the National Police Foundation after serving on the board for the past three years.
The National Police Foundation (NPF) is a research organization based in Washington, D.C., committed to the premise of “advancing policing through innovation and science.”
“I am honored to have been selected and look forward to continuing to work on issues of national significance related to policing, he said.
All NPF board members volunteer their time and are reimbursed only for travel expenses.
The NPF was founded in 1970 through a grant from the Ford Foundation. Its purpose is to help law enforcement agencies be more effective in serving their communities. The group has supported or conducted numerous scientific studies in policing that have changed policing and continue to influence policing today. The president of the foundation is James Bueermann, a retired police chief from Redlands.
Melekian, who has more than 45 years of law enforcement experience, was hired by the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office in January 2015 and, as second in command, is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Sheriff’s Office.
He was previously a member of California’s Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission as has served on the city of Santa Barbara’s Police and Fire Commission. He is also a board member on the Santa Barbara Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse.
