Craig A. Hunter was born and raised in the City of Santa Ana. He began his Law Enforcement Career at the age of nineteen, as a Police Reserve in the City of Garden Grove. In 1979, he was hired as a Deputy for the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, where he was quickly recognized for his leadership abilities and was selected as president of his academy class.
In 1982, Chief Hunter joined the Anaheim Police Department and has proudly served the citizens of Anaheim in all aspects of policing. As Deputy Chief of Police in California’s tenth largest city, Chief Hunter oversees all daily operations for the department of nearly 800 full-time and volunteer members and a budget of $120 million.
Chief Hunter is a graduate of several prestigious law enforcement leadership programs including the FBI National Academy, Command College, POST Leadership Institute, and the Delinquency Control Institute at USC. He holds a BA degree on Organizational Leadership and a Masters Degree in Criminal Justice from Chapman University. Chief Hunter also holds a Community College teaching credential. He has lectured and been published on topics including Terrorism, Tourist Policing, Leadership and Crisis Management.
Chief Hunter’s 30-year law enforcement career has exposed him to all aspects of policing. As an officer and investigator, he worked primarily specialized assignments in Gang Enforcement, Street Narcotics, Major Narcotics, and Career Criminal Apprehension. He has held supervisory and command positions in Jail Operations, Professional Standards, Investigations, Patrol Operations, Community Policing, SWAT, and Special Events. Chief Hunter provided key leadership in several events where the eyes of the world were on Anaheim, including the 2002 World Series, two Stanley Cup Championship series, and the 2003 World Gymnastics Championships.
Chief Hunter has played a pivotal role in developing the Anaheim Police Department as a recognized leader in homeland security and community policing. As a commander in the resort district, Chief Hunter developed the Anaheim Police Department’s nationally recognized Tourist Oriented Policing program and the department’s first volunteer Corp of Resort Ambassadors. Most recently, the Department received international recognition in Police Problem Solving and was selected as a finalist for the distinguished Herman Goldstein Award at the 2007 Problem Oriented Policing conference in Madison Wisconsin.
Chief Hunter is married and has four children. His community involvement includes many years in Boy Scouting and officiating high school and college football. Two of his sons are Eagle Scouts and one is a police officer.
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