Captain James “Jay” Christian
Captain Christian has proudly served OCSD in a variety of assignments over his 25-year law enforcement career including stints as Lieutenant of Custody Operations at Central Jail, Sergeant of Internal Affairs in the Professional Standards Division, Sergeant of Investigations in the North Operations Division, Investigator at San Clemente Police Services, and as an investigator in the Homicide Detail of OCSD’s Criminal Investigations Bureau. AsChief of Police Services, he manages patrol operations, investigations, traffic enforcement, school resource officer, and other administrative duties.
About the appointment, an OCSD representative said, “Captain Christian comes to San Clemente with a deep knowledge of the community, its values, and its priorities as they relate to community-oriented policing.”
“We want to extend our deepest appreciation to Captain Benfield for his dedication and capable leadership while serving as the City’s Chief of Police Services for 2.5 years, and congratulate him on his exciting new role,” said Mayor Chris Duncan. “We are pleased to welcome Captain Christian to serve our community. We are confident that, since
he has previously served as an OCSD Investigator in San Clemente and has lived here with his family for the past eight years, Captain Christian will quickly assimilate local knowledge and
serve our community well for many years to come.”
The appointment of Captain Christian is effective January 13, 2023, and he was introduced at the City Council meeting on January 17, 2023.