Two San Diego Police Department officers have been appointed to serve on California police boards.
The appointments of Lt. Charles Lara and Sgt. Nicholas Nguyen were announced Thursday by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Lara, who has been with the SDPD since 1999, has been appointed to the Peace Officer Standards Accountability Advisory Board. He earned a Juris Doctor degree from UC Berkeley School of Law and a bachelor’s degree in legal studies and politics from UC Santa Cruz.
He has worked both as a sergeant and lieutenant in the Internal Affairs Unit, overseen department disclosures related to mandated local, state and federal legislation, assisted with compliance with the city of San Diego’s surveillance ordinance and taught statewide regarding search and seizure, arrests, emotional intelligence and non-bias based policing and racial profiling.
Nguyen has been appointed to the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training. A sergeant with the department since 2014, Nguyen has served in several roles.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from UC Riverside and is the founder and president of the First Responder Whiskey Society, director of the San Diego Police Officers Association, director of the San Diego Chapter of the Gary Sinise Foundation and a member of the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels. His appointment to the position requires Senate confirmation.
“Through their experiences with SDPD, I’m confident Lt. Lara and Sgt. Nguyen will be valued voices as members of these boards, bringing insight and fairness to difficult decisions,” said Police Chief David Nisleit.