SIMI VALLEY : 2 Seen as Top Choices for Police Chief Job

The two top candidates for Simi Valley police chief are a Ventura police commander and a former Simi Valley officer who heads a small department in San Luis Obispo County, officials said Thursday.

Ventura Assistant Police Chief Randy Adams and Arroyo Grande Police Chief Richard TerBorch are the leading contenders for the top Simi Valley post, Simi Valley Councilwoman Sandi Webb said.

City Manager Mike Sedell has declined to talk about who his choice will be, pending background investigations being done on the two men by the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department.

TerBorch, 48, was a senior investigator with the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control for nearly five years until he became a Simi Valley police officer in 1975.

He left Simi Valley in 1989 with the rank of lieutenant to become chief of the department in Arroyo Grande, commanding 21 sworn officers in a town of about 15,500 people.

“I lived in Simi Valley for 16 years and worked there for 13 1/2 years,” TerBorch said Thursday. “I like the community very much, and I have a high respect for the organization.”

TerBorch is married and has two children. Born in West Los Angeles, he grew up in Orange County and earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in criminology at California State University, Long Beach.

Adams, 44, is away on vacation until next week and could not be reached for comment.

He started as a patrolman in Ventura in 1972 and worked his way up to the position of assistant chief, a post he took May 23, according to department records.

Married with three children, Adams was named president of the California Peace Officers Assn. in June.

He has a bachelor’s degree from California State University, Los Angeles, and master’s degrees in administration of justice from Cal Lutheran, and management from Cal Poly Pomona.

Sedell said he expects to name Simi Valley’s new chief by the end of the month.