She leads one of the largest police departments in the nation. She is responsible for thousands of officers. She works each day to serve and protect San Diego’s estimated 1.3 million people.

She’s also a BHS alumna.

On Feb. 26, BHS Class of 1977 graduate Shelley Zimmerman was named the chief of the San Diego Police Department — the first female chief in the department’s history.

In a recent phone interview, Zimmerman, who was enrolled in the district from kindergarten through high school, spoke highly of her time at BHS.

Getting Her Start at BHS

“I thoroughly enjoyed my experience,” she said, adding that she played in the school band, swam on the swim team, ran on the track team, and was captain of the girls’ basketball team.

Zimmerman said she also occasionally wrote for The Beachcomber, particularly during her senior year, and was a lifeguard at the city pool.

The “high standards” of the school and the community prepared her well for her future, she said. “It was expected that everybody there would succeed … It was expected you would never settle for second best.”

Zimmerman, a 1985 BHS Gallery of Success inductee, attributed part of her success to BHS teachers, including then-United States History teacher Gail Brewster, who now works in the district’s athletics department and often serves as a substitute teacher.

“[She was] an excellent student … fully involved with Beachwood activities,” Brewster said in a recent phone interview. “She was … a good person and people liked her,” she said.

Brewster said she had never guessed at the time that Zimmerman would one day be a police chief, however, she said she always believed Zimmerman would one day serve others.

Zimmerman said she enjoyed all aspects of her high school experience, from academics to social life, adding that she loved growing up in a “great, supportive atmosphere,” as she was one of four children in her family.

Her three siblings are all BHS alumni, as well; an older brother, Bud, who graduated from BHS in 1972 and is now a cardiologist in New York, an older sister, Renee, Class of 1974, who is a retired teacher, and a younger brother, Rob, Class of 1984, a trial attorney, Shaker Heights vice mayor and councilman.

Rob Zimmerman said he is “thrilled” about his sister’s promotion. “I’m very proud of her … She absolutely deserves this [and] will do a great job,” he said. The vice mayor, who said he was once sports editor of The Beachcomber, added that she has always been a “great” older sister, and, when they were growing up, the two often spent time together; going to amusement parks and baseball games.

However, Mr. Zimmerman said that, when he was a child, he probably would not have guessed his sister would one day be named the chief of police.

Though, Mr. Zimmerman continued, since she entered the law enforcement field, he said she has done very well, and, at this point, it’s not surprising she has been named police chief.

Zimmerman said the experiences she had at BHS have helped her greatly throughout her career. “Being a police officer, you have an opportunity to use every bit of knowledge, no matter how … seemingly meaningless.”

Zimmerman said that elements of her high school experience, such as being a lifeguard or running on the track team, along with being an avid sports fan, have helped her connect and communicate with others.

“It’s all about effective communication,” she said. “[It’s] critically important that you make connections.”

Zimmerman said she still connects with friends from her time at BHS, including American Sign Language teacher and 2014 Gallery of Success inductee Sharon Weisman, who graduated from BHS the same year as Zimmerman.

She said she has been able to keep in touch with some BHS alum who have migrated to the west coast, as well, but not without the help of social media. “Facebook is fantastic,” she said.

Zimmerman said she always makes it a point to attend the concerts of Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Marc Cohn, also a Class of 1977 graduate, whenever he is performing in the San Diego area.

She said that she tries to return to the Beachwood area every few years to visit family. However, she’s never entertained the thought of moving back to Northeast Ohio, because of the winter weather.

“[Beachwood has] changed, but that’s like everything else,” she said. “But it appears that things are going very well.”

Migrating to The West Coast

Zimmerman, a graduate of The Ohio State University, said she first planned on following in her trial attorney father’s footsteps by attending law school. Those plans, though, Zimmerman said, never panned out.

She first ventured out to California while on spring break of her junior year of college, attending The Rose Bowl college football game, in which the OSU Buckeyes were playing.

From her first introduction, Zimmerman said she felt the surroundings in California were “amazingly beautiful.”

After she graduated from college, Zimmerman, who is a self-described “outdoors person,” told her parents she was moving to California. She said she soon arrived there with $200, one suitcase, and her guitar, without any friends or place to live.

Zimmerman said that soon thereafter, she was hired by the SDPD.

32 Years in Law Enforcement

“It is an honorable profession, a noble profession,” she said of the career-path she chose 32 years ago. “[We] do our very best to make a terrible situation better for those involved.”

Zimmerman has held numerous positions within the SDPD, including field lieutenant, bodyguard for then-mayor Maureen O’Connor, and captain of the beaches and bays assignment.

She has also served in a management role of several of the department’s patrol commands, and, in the past, has worked with colleagues to plan security measures for events such as Super Bowl XXXVII and the 1996 Republican National Convention.

“[There are] no bad assignments, just bad attitudes,” Zimmerman said, explaining that part of the reason she is so fond of the SDPD is the variety of assignments available for officers.

“I take a lot of satisfaction in every assignment I’ve ever had,” she said, adding that she is “so very honored” to serve as the department’s chief.

Zimmerman said she takes pride in being able to make a positive difference in someone’s life every day, explaining that individuals whom she has arrested in the past have contacted her years later to let her know the words she once shared with them have helped to improve their lives.

While Zimmerman cited the upsides of working in law enforcement, she also acknowledged the more tragic aspects of her career; the worst, Zimmerman said, is being given the task of conveying a death notice to the family of an officer killed in the line of duty – something Zimmerman said she has had to do on more than one occasion.

However, while Zimmerman said officers should not dwell on the tragedies, it is important to have the possibility in the back of one’s mind.

“It’s good to have fear, because it keeps you safe,” she said. However, Zimmerman said officers are trained for difficult situations. “We train very well for exactly that … we train for the unexpected.”

“We Will Be The Finest Police Department In The Nation Again”

Though Zimmerman has only been the top dog of the department for a few months, she said she has already made progress on working on putting her goals for the department into action.

Zimmerman admitted that, over the last few years, the San Diego community’s trust in the SDPD has “eroded away” due to several cases of officer misconduct.

However, Zimmerman defended the majority of her officers, explaining that thousands serve every day “with honor, distinction, [and] professionalism.” “Yet, a few have made the decision to discredit this badge and this honorable, noble profession,” she said.

“This badge that we all proudly wear is not just a piece of polished metal. It represents the people of San Diego,” she said, adding that it also represents the oath officers take to protect and serve.

Zimmerman said the department has taken steps to combat the loss of trust, including sending SDPD representatives to over 140 community meetings per month city-wide.

She said her vision for the department is clear. “One San Diego, one city, all of us working together,” emphasizing that San Diego should be a place where all can “live in harmony and in safety … and we can do this if all of us work together.”

“We’ll be the safest large city in all of the nation,” Zimmerman said.

In addition, Zimmerman said the department has over 600 volunteers, along with neighborhood watch programs, Crime Stoppers, and a program for school children in the community.

Zimmerman said the department is in the “testing phase” of body-worn cameras.

“Body-worn cameras keep officers accountable, but also holds the public accountable,” she said. She added that several other police departments have seen ethics complaints drop by 80% and the demeanor of the public toward officers have “greatly improved” as well.

The department has also suffered from racial profiling issues, Zimmerman said.

“Even if there’s one person who believes [the department exercises racial profiling], that’s one too many,” she said.

Officer recruitment and retention will be another area of focus, as she explained half of the department is eligible to retire within the next four years.

“The Community Should Be Proud”

“I believe people in Beachwood should be very proud of what she has done,” Rob Zimmerman said. Her values were shaped in her hometown, he said. “The community should be proud.”

“She really was one of those kids you don’t forget, and I think other teachers who had her would say the same,” Brewster said.