Lt. Paul Rorrison has joined the top tiers of the San Diego Police Department’s (SDPD) Northern Division, a vast coastal territory serving diverse neighborhoods like Mission Beach, Pacific Beach, La Jolla and Torrey Pines. On July 9, Rorrison replaced Lt. Jim Filley, who has been reassigned to the police department’s Economics Fraud Unit, which handles fraud, forgery, elder abuse, identity theft and Internet crimes. Rorrison, a Southern California native, began his extensive 24-year career with the SDPD as a patrol officer for the central and western divisions. In 1996, he was promoted to investigative detective, covering various narcotics, domestic violence, homicide and intelligence assignments over the course of 10 years. In 2006, he became a sergeant, returning to the Central Division as a patrol supervisor. Prior to his move to the Northern Division this year, Rorrison served as a detective sergeant in Central Investigations and Internal Affairs, where he investigated complaints against officers and procedures. Despite being the new kid on the block, Rorrison said he is at home among familiar faces in the division. Earlier in his career, Rorrison patrolled with several members on the management team, including Capt. Al Guaderrama, who heads the Northern Divisin. Rorrison has also worked with the Northern Division’s team to supervise the Fourth of July holiday festivities along the coast during the last five years. “We’ve all worked together before, and we’re glad to be back together,” Rorrison said. “The plus is that I come into a new assignment, but I come in with people that I know. We have a police department family, but Northern Division is another family on its own.” Rorrison said the team members feed off of each others’ known skills and areas of expertise. “If somebody else has more of an understanding of a certain skill set than the other person, we’re not afraid to explore those options and take that input into our plans that we’re going forward with,” he said. Rorrison said he and his team at the Northern Division are focused on being accessible to the communities they serve, determining the distinct quality-of-life issues that are unique to each neighborhood and protecting public safety in all the neighborhoods through effective law enforcement. “We are trying to do a fresh approach as far as being accessible to the community, to improve their life and help them with any issues that they have,” Rorrison said. “Our main concern is public safety and law enforcement, but this division is unique in that we do deal with members of the communities on a regular basis.” Rorrison emphasized the importance of getting to know each community and its distinct concerns. He has already attended meetings of  the Pacific Beach and Mission Beach town councils and the Bird Rock Community Council, and is scheduled to attend community meetings in La Jolla in the near future. “My calendar is full usually every week going to the different groups to meet with the people who are involved with these core issues that affect their community,” Rorrison said. “They get to see me and talk to me one-on-one.” The Northern Division covers a vast area, serving a population of 218,056 people spanning nearly 42 square miles. Within the division, there are 12 distinct neighborhoods, each with varied and ever-changing concerns, priorities and needs from the SDPD. “It’s a new challenge in each different area,” he said. “Every place is unique in what they want and what they expect from the police department. We’re here to facilitate that and do what we can to provide the best service. “I love my job,” he said. “I love the community where I work. I love this place. It’s nice to come to work that you really enjoy.” To contact Rorrison, call (858) 552-1700, or visit www.sandiego.gov/police/neighborhood/northern.shtml. To report non-emergencies, call (619) 531-2000.