City of Los Altos Welcomes New Police Chief
Los Altos, Calif. — May 30, 2024 — The city of Los Altos welcomes Los Altos native Saskia Lagergren as its newly appointed chief of police. Lagergren will oversee the City’s full-service police department, comprised of 32 officers and 17 professional personnel. She will assume this position on Monday, June 3.
Lagergren brings more than 21 years of experience in policing to Los Altos. Most recently, serving as the police captain of the Administrative Services and Investigations Divisions for the Santa Clara Police Department she oversaw 70 sworn and professional staff and managed a budget of $36 million.
“We are thrilled to welcome Chief Lagergren back to her hometown. Her exceptional leadership in public safety and proven ability to form genuine, long-standing relationships with the community make her an ideal fit,” said City Manager Gabriel Engeland. “Throughout the interview process, she demonstrated a clear and compelling vision for the Los Altos Police Department. We are confident that Chief Lagergren will lead the department with distinction, ensuring the safety of the Los Altos community and effectively implementing the City Council’s priorities.”
In her two decades serving the Santa Clara community, Lagergren steadily rose through the ranks, holding various positions, including undercover narcotics detective, temporary holding facility sergeant, sexual assault detective, field training officer sergeant, and taser sergeant.
A Los Altos native, Chief Lagergren expressed her deep commitment to the Los Altos community: “I am both honored and humbled to lead the Los Altos Police Department. Having grown up in this community, I have a profound appreciation for its unique character and values. I am eager to collaborate with the City Council, City staff, and all members of the community to ensure Los Altos remains a safe place to live, work, visit, and play.”
As a police captain of Santa Clara PD, Lagergren championed officer and professional staff well-being by creating and leading an employee Wellness Committee. Lagergren implemented a diverse set of programs to provide comprehensive support and resources for physical, mental, emotional, financial, social, and occupational wellness. These initiatives included a dedicated Peer Support team, fitness classes, health screenings, educational presentations, and healthy meal options.
Lagergren holds a master’s degree in Business Administration from Loyola Marymount University and a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Furman University, where she played Division I softball. Additionally, she is an alumna of Saint Francis High School. She also graduated from the Executive Leadership Institute at Drucker School of Management at Claremont Graduate University and earned her Executive Leadership Certification from the California Police Chief’s Association.
Lagergren succeeds former Los Altos Police Chief Angela Averiett, who resigned in mid-April after serving over a year and a half with the City’s police department to assume the position of interim chief of police for the city of San Leandro. The City will be introducing Lagergren to the community in the coming weeks.
Please direct media inquiries to Public Information Officer Sonia Lee at (650) 947-2611 or slee@losaltosca.gov.
