James Lombardi began his 52-year career with the LAPD when he graduated from the Academy in December of 1969.

His entrance into law enforcement resulted in a lifetime of adventures, from serving assignments in Narcotics and Vice (where his peers nicknamed him “The Secret Weapon” due to his success as an undercover operator), to patrolling the streets. He became a long-time leader in the LAPD, helping make the Department’s Reserve Corps the gold standard of reserve law enforcement that it’s known for today.

Through the years, his service record reflected praises from supervisors for his professionalism, good judgment, outstanding investigations, devotion to duty, and his ability to work well with all personnel. His superiors and fellow officers consider him one of the most outstanding reserve offices ever to serve the LAPD.

Officer Lombardi became President of the California Reserve Peace Officers Association (CRPOA), representing reserves statewide on countless legislative issues, lobbying at the State Capitol on a myriad of Bills, from firearms to Workers’ Comp. His fingerprints are on much of what we take for granted today, in California and throughout the country, and he now serves the CRPOA as President Emeritus.

Jim spent his entire LAPD career in Central Division and received multiple honors from the Department, including the Reserve Officer of the Year, at the Division and at the Bureau, numerable times. He served the Department, as well as the CRPOA and the Board of Directors of the Los Angeles Police Reserve Foundation. In 2019 he received the prestigious Andrea Friedman Award at the Twice a Citizen gala for his above-and-beyond service to the Reserve Corps.

The Rotator newsletter for LAPD Reserve Officers, in its Winter 2012 interview with Officer Lombardi, wrote: “If you are an LAPD reserve police officer, you should know of Jim Lombardi, unless you’ve lived under a rock. Reserve Officer Lombardi has lived and breathed the LAPD Reserve Corps, and California reserve law enforcement, for a very long time.”

Officer Lombardi saw many changes in law enforcement during his 52-year career, but his most important advice to young officers is this: “maintain a sense of humor… smile and laugh… you can get so much done and feel so much better about it with a sense of humor.”