Chief of Police of Los Altos

Andy Galea was sworn in as the new Police Chief for the Los Altos Police Department on December 15, 2016 after serving 7 years as the Operations Captain for the Los Altos Police Department.

Andy started his law enforcement career with the Menlo Park Police Department and also served with the Foster City Police Department until he was hired by the San Jose Police Department in 1978. During his career with San Jose, Andy had the opportunity to work a variety of assignments. As an Officer he worked Patrol, Field Training and undercover Vice. As a Sergeant he worked Patrol, School Liaison, Narcotics-Covert Investigations, DEA Task Force, Airport Narcotics, Auto Theft, Court Liaison and the Information Center. As a Lieutenant he worked as a Patrol Watch Commander and also served as the Commander of the Special Operations METRO unit, Assaults Unit and High Tech Crime unit. As a Captain he worked in the Bureau of Investigations overseeing both the Property Crimes Division and the Person Crimes Division.

In January of 2008, Andy was promoted to the rank of Deputy Chief in San Jose and served as the Chief of Investigations and as the Chief of the Bureau of Field Operations. The Bureau of Field Operations has approximately 1,000 sworn officers and is the primary provider of police services for the City of San Jose. On August 7, 2009, after 30 years of service, Andy retired from the San Jose Police Department to join the Los Altos Police Department.

Andy holds a B.A. in Management from Menlo College and is also a graduate of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia, as well as the FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development course.