First Female CA Police Chiefs President
Monday, March 1, 2010
Manheimer has served on the board of directors of the 338-member organization since 2002 and has been third vice president for the past three years. She will be named as President Manheimer at the group's annual training symposium at the Fairmont Hotel in San Jose on March 3rd.
The accomplished police chief had worked as a radio reporter before enrolling in the police academy. She later earned a Bachelor of Arts in business management from Saint Mary's College in Moraga and a masters in educational leadership from San Diego State University.
Before being named the top cop in San Mateo, Chief Manheimer served 16 years with the San Francisco Police Department, where she specialized in robbery decoy work and gang/violent-crime suppression. She was appointed Chief of Police for the City of San Mateo in May of 2000.
Chief Susan Manheimer has a record of consistent commitment to neighborhood policing and has utilized many innovative programs, such as the highly-successful Homeless Outreach Team and the Adopt-a-School program.
Manheimer led the way in forming creative partnerships with the community and allied agencies including the Tongan Interfaith Council for Central San Mateo County, the Juvenile Hall Assessment and Diversion Center, and the countywide Gang Task Force which she helped to found.
Susan Manheimer has served as a governor’s appointee to the State Advisory Group for Juvenile Justice Delinquency and Crime Prevention. She also served as a board member of Fight Crime Invest in Kids California, the Peninsula Conflict Resolution Center, and the University of San Francisco Law Enforcement Leadership Institute.
As chief, Manheimer favored "new millennium policing". The community-based approach partners police with other criminal justice agencies and public health agencies, substance-abuse counselors, group homes for the elderly and youth, and other resources to deal with the many problems for which police are often the first ones called.
Susan Manheimer’s father was a city councilman in the Bronx, NY, and he was her public service role model. Her grandparents, who fled persecution in Eastern Europe and struggled to establish themselves in America, provided inspiration for her being in a nontraditional field for women.
"I like nothing better than talking to young girls and women about how they can be the chief of anything they want to be," Manheimer says. "In the end, it’s what my parents instilled in me and is the key to my success. Also, the more diverse we are, the more those below us will strive to succeed. Being a role model is more important now than at any other time in my career."
Chief Manheimer resides in San Mateo County with her husband, Michael, and adult children Sarah and Jesse. She enjoys skiing, hiking and rowing, and she exudes California innovation and confidence.
I wholeheartedly congratulate the first female California Police Chiefs Association President, with prayers and blessings for much success. Go, Susan!
