Bill Burke, chief of police for the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System, died Monday of unknown causes, the trolley agency said.

He was 68 and leaves a wife, three children and five grandchildren.

Bill Burke, chief of security for the Metropolitan Transit Service. Image courtesy of MTS
Bill Burke, chief of security for the Metropolitan Transit Service. Image courtesy of MTS

Deputy Director of Transit Security Manuel Guaderrama, a former San Diego Police Department captain who left under a cloud, was named acting director of security for MTS.

System spokesman Rob Schupp told Times of San Diego that Burke died in a hospital and his passing was a shock to MTS staff. Schupp wasn’t sure Monday whether the agency would do a formal search for Burke’s successor.

“Bill will be missed greatly at MTS,” said Paul Jablonski, the agency’s CEO. “He brought many innovations to MTS and helped our system become one of the safest in the nation.

“More than that, Bill was a gentleman who earned respect from every one of his colleagues. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his friends and family.”

Burke started with MTS in 2001, was promoted to director of security in 2004 and became its first chief of police in 2011. Before joining MTS, he held the title of chief of police in the Cook County Sheriff’s Department in Chicago.

Burke was responsible for several significant improvements to the MTS system, Including:

  • Closed-circuit TV at Trolley stations.
  • On-board cameras on Trolleys and buses.
  • Body cameras on code compliance inspectors.
  • Initiation of TSA-trained canine teams for MTS.
  • Close working relationships with all local law enforcement agencies, TSA and Homeland Security.
  • And development of the local See Something, Say Something campaign.
Manuel Guaderrama, elevated to head of MTS security.
Manuel Guaderrama, elevated to head of MTS security.

New chief Guaderrama, for a year the No. 2 officer in the system, left the San Diego Police Department after three decades in the wake of accusations that he shielded his son, Alex, from jail in 2012.

In an August 2012 interview, Guaderrama said: “I’m a hands-on manager. I like to be kept informed and I really believe it’s important to lead by example here. I try to do that all the time. I don’t ask people to work harder than I do.”

In December 2012, “Manny” Guaderrama was a finalist for police chief in the Central California town of Paso Robles.

Another report noted that Guaderrama came under scrutiny “when his 23-year-old son got in trouble for allegedly groping two woman outside a bar in Pacific Beach.”

Guaderrama said at the time: “My son is an adult, and he has to answer for his behavior on that particular night, I love my son but it’s his responsibility to deal with that.”

Alex Guaderrama in 2013 pleaded guilty to four misdemeanor charges and received three years probation and an $850 fine.

A graduate of San Diego State University, Guaderrama traced his career path two years ago in an online interview:

I began my police career with the San Diego Police Department in 1983 and just recently celebrated my thirty-year anniversary with the organization. As a patrol officer, and later as a patrol sergeant, I worked primarily at Central Division serving the Logan Heights and Downtown communities.

As a supervisor and as a manager, I worked units such as the Gang Unit, Narcotics, SWAT, Homicide, and Internal Affairs. As a commanding officer, my first assignment was at Southern Division, which is geographically separated from the rest of the city and borders Mexico to the south. I have also been in charge of our Operation Support Division and the Traffic and Special Operations Division prior to coming to Northwestern [Division].

According to a San Diego Union-Tribune report in December 2011, Burke was a graduate of the FBI National Academy, has a bachelor’s degree from DePaul University and a master’s degree from Governors State University.

Burke is survived by his wife, Janice; three children; and five grandchildren.