Jim Smith is the Director of Law Enforcement Relations for California and the Southwest for ecoATM, after a 39-year career in law enforcement. As the retired Chief of Police of the Monterey Park Police Department in California, Jim serves as the liaison between ecoATM and the many law enforcement agencies it works closely with to uphold strict, extensive security standards and practices made possible by its partnership with law enforcement.

Director Smith began his career with the Monterey Park Police Department as a Police Explorer Scout in 1981. He later became a Reserve Police Officer in 1983 while he worked in private industry. In 1992, he became a full time Police Officer working in the Patrol Bureau. He was assigned to the Detective Bureau in 1993 where he worked until 2000. During his time in the Detective Bureau he was assigned as the Crimes Against Persons Detective (Robbery, Homicide, Assaults) until 1997 when he was promoted to Sergeant. As a Detective Sergeant he supervised the Department’s Crime Impact Team which was responsible for Gang, Narcotics, and Asian Organized Crime investigations. During that time, he forged excellent relationships with Federal partners most notably the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). He also worked assignments in Patrol and Community Relations as a Sergeant. He was promoted to Lieutenant in 2002 and to Captain in 2003. Jim served as Chief of Police for the Monterey Park Police Department from September 2009 until his retirement in February of 2020.

Director Smith earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice from California State University Los Angeles, and a Masters Degree in Public Administration from the University of La Verne. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy’s 214th Session and the Sherman Block Supervisory Leadership Institute.

Director Smith is a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), FBI National Academy Associates (FBINAA), FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development Association (FBI LEEDA), California Police Chiefs Association, California Peace Officers Association (CPOA), Chiefs Special Agents Association, and ASIS International.

Director Smith previously served as a Board Member (Los Angeles Region Representative) for the California Police Chiefs Association from 2016 – 2020. He also served on the Association’s Legislative Committee and Political Action Committee. He is the Past President of the Los Angeles County Police Chiefs’ Association, and the Past President of the San Gabriel Valley Police Chiefs’ Association. He also served on the Executive Board of the FBI National Academy Associates, Inc., California Chapter as the Training Manager and Webmaster.

During his career he was active in several community organizations. He is a Past President of the Board of Directors for the Asian Youth Center, former Co-Chair of the steering committee for the Pacific Clinics Mental Illness and Law Enforcement Systems (M.I.L.E.S.) program, served as a member of the Los Angeles County Criminal Justice Mental Health Task Force, and was a member and Past President of the Monterey Park Lions Club.