As those responsible for the frontline law enforcement officials that will be tasked with keeping Lathrop residents safe, the sergeants of the Lathrop Police Department will have a crucial role in setting the tone and the standard for the new department once it goes online on July 1. 

And fortunately for Lathrop residents, the sergeants that are scheduled to step into those roles have a wealth of law enforcement experience. 

According to the City of Lathrop, April saw a huge influx of new members to the department – including four sergeants that will be tasked with managing the day-to-day operations of the agency. 

One of the individuals hired to serve in that capacity will be Rodolfo Alaniz, who worked for the Los Angeles Police Department – the largest in California with nearly 10,000 officers and an annual operating budget of more than $1.8 billion – for more than three decades. In addition to street patrol, Alaniz worked in the gang unit, narcotics, and as an assistant watch commander. He holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and is married with two children. 

Also hired was 16-year San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office veteran Greg Mortensen, who spent 11 years working as a patrol officer in Lathrop. Mortensen has experience as a field training officers as well as a member of the bomb squad and has even worked as a drone pilot. He has an associates degree in criminal justice from Delta College and is married with four children. 

After moving to California from Florida in 2010 to take a job at the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office, Landon Lawson will step into a role as a Lathrop Police Sergeant when the agency comes online. Lawson has experience in corrections, patrol, and as a traffic officer, and holds a master’s degree in law enforcement executive leadership. He is married and has three children. 

With 16 years of experience as a Modesto police officer, Billy Boyle will bring his work in traffic and patrol and as a member of Modesto’s Homeless Engagement and Response Team – the city partners a police officer with a firefighter to work directly with the city’s large homeless population – to Lathrop as a sergeant. Boyle has a Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice management and is married with two children. 

Now that the sergeants have joined the sworn staff currently working to stand up the city’s first ever standalone department, the department is inching closer to taking responsibility for the day-to-day law enforcement operations that have only ever been carried out under contract with the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office. 

To contact reporter Jason Campbell email or call 209.249.3544.