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African-American
Arab-American & Islamic Community
Officer Homayoun Nabizadeh
Officer Homayoun Nabizadeh immigrated from Iran to the United States in 1978. In 1980, he graduated from Patrick Henry High School in San Diego. He later obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from San Diego State University and an Associate's degree in Mathematics from Grossmont College. He joined SDPD in March of 1990. He worked as a patrol officer in various divisions. He also worked as part of the Border Suppression Team and was a Field Training Officer. He is currently working at the Multi-Cultural Community Relations Office as the Liaison to the Islamic, Arab-American, and South West Asian Communities of San Diego.
Detective Rohullah Saleha
Detective Rohullah Saleha has been with the San Diego Police Department as a Police Officer since October 2014. He is one of the department’s liaisons to the Arab-American and Islamic communities in San Diego. Detective Saleha was born in Afghanistan. Detective Rohullah Saleha was a refugee from Afghanistan and settled in San Diego in 2001 with his family. He is a fluent Farsi, Dari, Hindi, and Urdu speaker. He attended San Diego State University graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Economics. He later graduated from the San Diego Regional Police Academy. He later obtained a master’s degree in Business Administration from National University.
Detective Saleha is very active in the Arab-American and the Islamic communities in San Diego County, especially in working to build trust and respect between law enforcement and the community. His prior assignments include working as a patrol officer in Northern Division and Central Division, Juvenile Services, and serving as a Detective at Central and Southern area stations. Detective Saleha is currently assigned to Southern Division.
Detective Saleha is a member of the Pan-Pacific Law Enforcement Association (PANPAC), which supports its members on the department and builds partnerships with the community.
Detective Saleha is the first Afghan police officer to be promoted to the rank of Detective in the San Diego Police Department.
Asian & Pacific Islander
Captain Al Ambito
Captain Al Ambito has been a sworn officer for 22 years. He is the lead liaison to the very diverse Asian and Pacific Islander (API) communities in San Diego. Captain Al Ambito was born, raised and educated in the Philippines. He is a fluent Tagalog speaker and like many Filipino families in San Diego, he was raised around the U.S. military, with his father being a retired U.S. Navy Chief. He is very active in the API communities in San Diego County, especially in working to build trust and respect between law enforcement and the community. His prior patrol assignments include working at Mid-City, Southern and Southeastern Divisions, then serving as a Detective at Southern and Southeastern area stations, and specialized assignments in the Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Units, including Homicide Relief.
From 2016 to 2018, Lt. Al Ambito managed the SDPD Multi-Cultural Community Relations Office (MCCRO) in Mid-City Division.
As a Lieutenant, he was first assigned to Southern Division managing the issues along the border during the intense Migrant Caravan event in 2018. In 2020, he was assigned to Southeastern Division, where he lived prior to joining SDPD and where his family still calls home. Southeastern Division has one of the largest populations of API residents in the City of San Diego. He enjoyed working with the Southeastern community by getting involved in community events and working with the community leaders in improving quality of life issues.
After serving the Southeastern community for over 3 years, Capt. Ambito was transferred and currently manages the Background and Recruiting Unit where he serves as the Appointing Authority for hiring all sworn positions for SDPD. He is highly involved in Recruiting events and the Department’s CAMP Program (Candidate Assistance and Mentoring Program) in order to hire and prepare the best candidates for the San Diego Police Department.
In addition to his duties with SDPD, Capt. Al Ambito is highly active in other API Law Enforcement Associations. He is a founding member and director of the Filipino American Law Enforcement Officers Association in San Diego (FALEO), past President and current Vice President of the San Diego Pan-Pacific Law Enforcement Association (PANPAC) and a former Vice President of the National Asian Peace Officers Association (NAPOA).
He is committed to maintaining the positive relationship that SDPD has built with API communities and is dedicated to helping with any public safety concerns including issues involving any hate crimes against community members.
Lieutenant Corissa Edwards
Corissa is a 21-year employee of the City of San Diego and an 18-year veteran of the San Diego Police Department. She currently holds the rank of Police Lieutenant and is assigned to Southeastern Patrol. She has worked in a variety of assignments to include, Vice/Permits and Licensing, Backgrounds and Recruiting, Southern Division, Sex Crimes, Juvenile Services, Homeless Outreach Team, Neighborhood Policing, Northwestern Division, Internal Affairs and Eastern Division.
Corissa holds a bachelor's degree in Public Administration and a Human Resource Certificate from National University. As a City employee, Corissa has served as an elected Board Member for the San Diego Municipal Employee Association and is currently a Board Member on the San Diego Pan Pacific Law Enforcement Association. She was a City of San Diego Diversity University Facilitator and helped build cultural and racial understanding among City employees.
She is an active member of the Chief’s Advisory Board which represents the Asian/Pacific Islander communities throughout the City. Corissa is also a proud Guamanian-Filipino member of the Southeast San Diego community and has been active in mentoring at-risk juveniles of color in Southeast, South Bay and San Ysidro. She is a RISE Urban Leadership Fellow from the University of San Diego and is currently the Department's Juvenile Administration liaison. As a single mother of two adult sons and a nephew she is raising, she strives to be a positive example to her family and the community she serves.
Sergeant Lem Sainsanoy
Sergeant Lem Sainsanoy was a refugee from Cambodia and settled in San Diego in 1980 with his family. He attended Miramar College and later graduated from the San Diego Regional Police Academy. He is one of the department’s liaisons to the very diverse Asian and Pacific Islander (API) communities in San Diego. Sgt. Sainsanoy has been an officer with the City of San Diego for 20 years. While on the police department, he has worked Patrol, Crime Suppression Unit, Violent Crime Task Force, Narcotics, Juvenile Services, and Investigations.
Sgt. Sainsanoy also serves as Vice President of Pan-Pacific Law Enforcement Association (PANPAC), which supports its members on the department and builds partnerships with the community. Sgt. Sainsanoy speaks Cambodian, Laotian and Thai.
Sgt. Sainsanoy is currently assigned to the Multi-Cultural Community Relations Office in the City Heights area of San Diego assisting the refugee community with criminal investigations, translations, traffic-related matters, and crime prevention.
Sgt. Sainsanoy is one of the directors and a mentor for the San Diego Asian Youth Organization (SDAYO), bringing together a diverse group of teenagers and providing them with the resources necessary to give back to their community. The members participate in cultural and civic activities as well as community service events all around San Diego.
Sgt. Sainsanoy is the first Cambodian police officer to be promoted to the rank of Sergeant in the San Diego Police Department.
Assistant Chief Rudy Tai
Assistant Chief Rudolph (Rudy) Tai has been with the San Diego Police Department for over 30 years. Currently, he oversees patrol operations for the department. During his time with SDPD, Asst. Chief Tai has worked in a variety of assignments from patrol to recruiting to investigative units. Asst. Chief Tai is an adjunct instructor at the San Diego Regional Police Academy, where he teaches Community Policing, Problem Solving, and Hate Crimes. Currently, he is the president of the San Diego Pan Pacific (PANPAC) Law Enforcement Association and the National Association of Asian American Law Enforcement Commanders (NAAALEC). Asst. Chief Tai has previously served as the President of the National Asian Peace Officers’ Association (NAPOA) and as a member of many Asian and Pacific Islander Community Boards.
Disabled
Lieutenant Jonathan Lowe
Lieutenant Jonathan Lowe has been with the San Diego Police Department since 1999. As a native San Diegan, Lt. Lowe was always drawn to serving his community. Prior to joining law enforcement, Lt. Lowe was an EMT with a local ambulance company.
Lt. Lowe worked 18 years in the field in Eastern, Western, Northern and Mid-City patrol divisions. While in patrol, Lt. Lowe served as a Field Training Officer and a member of S.W.A.T. Lt. Lowe also worked in the Backgrounds & Recruiting Unit as the Recruiting Sergeant, before being promoted to Lieutenant. Lt. Lowe currently supervises the Special Operations Unit (SOU).
Lt. Lowe has always had a heart for people with disabilities. His mission is to ensure that all individuals receive equitable service from officers and to make sure that officers are equipped with the most up-to-date information on the various communities they serve. Lt. Lowe is fluent in American Sign Language, and his goal is to become an interpreter someday.
Jewish Community
Latino
LGBTQ+
Officer Lisa Hartman
Officer Lisa A. Hartman (She/Her) became a police officer with the City of San Diego in July 2004. She is proud to be a new LGBTQ+ Community Liaison Officer and excited to serve the LGBTQ+ community. She earned a Master's Degree in Exercise Science and a Bachelor's Degree in Sports Medicine Athletic Training. She is not only part of the community but in the beginning of her career proudly worked the areas of Hillcrest and North Park. Her other assignments included Northern Division as a patrol officer, as well as Beach Team officer. She became a Field Evidence Technician to enhance her investigative skills and also worked investigations at both Western Division and Northern Division. Currently she is assigned to our Training and In-Service unit where she assists in the training of new officers as well as refresher training for sworn officers. She also assisted in the development of and is the instructor of the LGBTQ+ training, which all active San Diego Police Officers and Recruits have attended. Officer Lisa Hartman is LGBTQ and wants to work with the community to help create a safe and lasting bond.
Military
Deputy Chief Paul Connelly
Deputy Chief Paul Connelly is a 27-year veteran of the San Diego Police Department and has served as the second in command since January 2024. In his role, Chief Connelly is responsible for the day-to-day operational functions of the Department consisting of 2,600 budgeted sworn and non-sworn personnel.
Chief Connelly began his career with the San Diego Police Department in January 1997. He has worked a wide variety of assignments and held every rank, from Patrol Officer to Deputy Chief.
After promoting to Assistant Chief in 2018, Chief Connelly established and managed the new Neighborhood Policing Division focused on addressing quality of life issues associated with homelessness. His teams worked to build collaborative problem-solving partnerships with the community and enhance public safety for San Diego neighborhoods. In 2021, he became the Assistant Chief of Investigations, overseeing the Department’s many investigative units. He also served as the liaison for the San Diego Police Foundation, Chief’s Community Outreach Advisory Boards, High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program, SANDAG, and as the Department’s Military Liaison.
Prior to his time in the Chief’s Office, Chief Connelly worked various other assignments, including Commanding Officer of Western and Central Patrol Divisions, Special Event Operations, Field Lieutenant, Air Support Unit, Parking Enforcement Unit, Tow Administration Unit and patrol operations.
Chief Connelly successfully managed the security planning and operations for several large events in San Diego, such as the 2016 MLB All-Star Game and five days of related events, Charger and Padres games, large concerts, Comic-Con, Rock-n-Roll Marathon, December Nights, and the LGBTQ Pride Parade.
Chief Connelly was one of few selected and trained to pilot SDPD’s helicopters and airplanes to support patrol and investigative operations in the Air Support Unit. As he promoted to the rank of Sergeant and Lieutenant, he had the opportunity to return to the unit and manage the team ensuring officer safety and critical incidents from the air.
Paul is originally from Pittsburgh, PA, where he attended Robert Morris University and earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. Immediately after college, he became an officer in the United States Marine Corps and ultimately achieved the rank of captain. In March 2019, Chief Connelly graduated from the FBI National Academy, FBINA Class #275.
In his spare time, Chief Connelly and his wife enjoy taking advantage of the great outdoor activities San Diego has to offer and spending time with their three sons.