By Mary O’KEEFE

Los Angeles Sheriff’s Dept./Crescenta Valley Sheriff’s Station Captain Robert Hahnlein has a new title: commander. 

It was a bit of surprise for Hahnlein as he was responding a couple of weeks ago to head down to headquarters. 

“They brought me down to headquarters to discuss something about the Eaton Fire. When I got down there, they said they brought me into Sheriff [Luna’s] office and they said congratulations … you’re being promoted,” Hahnlein said. 

He had applied for the promotion but was still surprised when he was given it.

“I felt very blessed to be able to be promoted,” he said. 

Hahnlein will be the commander of the East Patrol Division and will be in charge of six stations – one of them being the Crescenta Valley Station. 

Commander Hahnlein’s responsibility will be to make certain the units under his command are meeting LASD standards. He will be dealing with personnel, budget, incidence of force and complaints, risk management and much more, according to LASD.

Eventually he will be responsible for just three stations because the LASD plans to promote another member to commander. 

When Hahnlein interviewed he was among 27 applicants for 12 commander positions that were open within LASD.  

“I got lucky to be chosen on the first six promotions [hires],” he said. 

When asked what challenges LASD faces today and in the future, he said he feels the LASD has to work to regain public trust and has to reach out to recruit more individuals for LASD. 

With the negativity that is often associated with law enforcement it is difficult to find people who want to join LASD – or any law enforcement organization – as a career. 

Now Hahnlein will be working from the Hall of Justice in downtown Los Angeles and Lt. Ryan Vienna will be acting captain at the Crescenta Valley Sheriff’s  Station. 

“He has to go through an interview process,” Hahnlein said of Vienna’s next step to being selected as captain. 

Vienna and other candidates within the department will be interviewed. That large number will be narrowed down to a smaller field of candidates, then those candidates will be narrowed down again. Another department interview will narrow that group to about five and those candidates will then be interviewed by La Cañada Flintridge City representatives, La Crescenta representatives, local business owners and others stakeholders. 

Hahnlein cannot endorse a candidate but he has worked with Vienna since he came to the station. 

“He’s very knowledgeable about all the department’s rules, regulations and policies,” he said. “And he’s a young guy and he’s going to be with the department for a long time.”

Vienna also serves as a councilmember in his hometown of San Dimas, so Hahnlein said that gives him a unique perspective on law enforcement and public and city interaction.

Hahnlein has been with LASD for 35 years and was captain of the CV Station since 2022.