Captain Rudy Flores began his career in law enforcement with the Santa Monica Police Department in 1992 initially serving as a Cadet. After transitioning for 2.5 years as a Communications Operator he was hired as a sworn officer with the department in 1997. Rudy graduated from the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Academy and gained an extensive experience in various capacities including Patrol, Downtown Third Street Bicycle Unit, Vice / Narcotics Section and SWAT. In 2010 Rudy earned a promotion to Sergeant, where he supervised Patrol Operations, the Field Training Officer Program, Community Affairs, Property Crimes and Youth Services within the Criminal Investigations Division and continued to be a part of the SWAT team collaterally as a Team Leader. In 2019, Rudy advanced to the rank of Lieutenant, overseeing Patrol Operations and the Downtown Services Section. His responsibilities included managing the Community Service Officers, Downtown Bicycle Unit, Downtown Public Service Officers (PSO) Unit and the Pier & Harbor Services Unit. Later, he was appointed to the Office of the Chief of Police as the Chief’s Executive Officer and the department’s Public Information Officer. Rudy Flores was promoted to the rank of Captain in May of 2023. He currently has executive oversight of the Patrol Operations Division including the Field Officer Training Program, Downtown Services and specialized details such as the Directed Action Response Team (DART) and the Crime Impact Team (CIT). Beyond his professional duties, Captain Flores is an active Board Member with the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce and is the past President of the board of directors of the Santa Monica Police Activities League. Rudy Flores holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from UCLA and has pursued further professional development. He is a graduate from the Sherman Block’s Supervisory Leadership Institution, the Public Safety Leadership Program from USC’s Sol Price School of Public Policy, the Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST) management course and the Senior Management Institute for Police (SMIP) in Boston.
