Women in Law Enforcement Leadership Conference

On August 29, 2019, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Foundation welcomed retired Deputy Commissioner Mona Prieto for a Women’s Leadership Conference. The event was held for women in law enforcement (including administration).

Mona addressed the women with meaningful, practical and insightful wisdom she has gained from over 38 years of progressive law enforcement experience to the nation’s largest agencies of their kind, the California Highway Patrol (CHP), and Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) As CHP Deputy Commissioner, she directed the day to day operations of over 11,000 employees, functioning with an operating budget of $ 2.1 billion, resulting in national recognition for innovative leadership approaches in administration and law enforcement. With a strong record of top performance in a variety of challenging executive assignments, she was selected by the California Governors’ office to serve as the Acting Director of ABC, where progressive steps were taken to enhance the operations of the department.

For over three decades her hands-on experience in seven CHP field commands and three staff operations, helped her work her way through the ranks from cadet to second in command of the CHP. She has provided patrol services and leadership in rural commands and major metropolitan field commands of Los Angeles, San Francisco Bay Area, and Sacramento Areas as well as special assignments in the greater Sacramento Area. She also had hands-on oversight of the Offices of Community Outreach & Media Relations, Equal Employment Opportunity, Internal Affairs, and Legal Affairs. Deputy Commissioner Prieto’s career has encompassed many notable milestones, including many “first’s” in the history of the CHP, including becoming the first female motorcycle traffic enforcement officer in 1980, the first female Assistant Commissioner in 2008, and the first female Deputy Commissioner in 2012, along with the first female Acting Director of ABC.

Commissioner Prieto has been recognized for her innovation and results-oriented collaborative efforts in both staff and field assignments. In order to assure the forward progress of the Department, she has championed many issues including enhanced officer safety, workplace violence prevention, a mentorship program for all ranks, engaged community involvement, tactical and operational training and a myriad of occupational safety issues. She has worked diligently to improve public safety throughout her career and has been selected to be a spokesperson for the CHP at the local, regional, headquarters, and national levels. She is known for leading departmental planning efforts at the highest level, and in the management of numerous specialized, statewide programs.

It should be noted that funds raised for this extraordinary event were raised by the women residents of Ventura County who held a fundraiser for leadership training for our women in law enforcement.