For Beverly Hills Chief of Police Max Subin, it’s all about respect and building relationships.
That thread weaves throughout Subin’s life, from a classmate who encouraged him to join the Police Explorers to his relationships with the Beverly Hills community and nearly 300 police department employees.
Never was the power of respect clearer than during a phone call Subin received shortly after being sworn in as Chief on August 10.
“He told me, ‘You don’t remember me, but about 10 years ago, you and your partner put me in prison. I read on Instagram that you’re Chief, and I wanted to say congratulations,” Subin recalls. “He said to me, ‘You always treated me with respect and were always very nice. I got my life together; I have a family now.’ That was cool to hear. Never in my career have I been congratulated by a suspect I put away in prison.”
That kind of care is what makes the Beverly Hills Police Department an outstanding place to work, Subin says. Everyone from residents to the business community to the City Council backs the department’s mission to ensure Beverly Hills is the safest city through state-of-the-art technology, perseverance, high standards, and relentless police work, he says.
“The community support is why recruits who are considering other departments need to look at Beverly Hills,” Subin said. “Plus, the benefits and the pay the City Council has afforded us are absolutely amazing. And we have a great culture, a healthy training program, and resources.”
Beverly Hills Police Department aims to support all our officers in their efforts to advance and reach where they want to be in their careers, he added.
Beverly Hills Chief of Police Max Subin, left, with former Beverly Hills Police Chief Marvin Iaonne on the day Subin was sworn in as a Beverly Hills police officer in 1999. Photo provided by Beverly Hills Police Department
A strong start
In the 90-odd days since becoming Chief, Subin has assembled his team, continued preparations for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, and has met one-on-one with every member of the department. Throughout, Subin has seen an outpouring of kindness from the community including offers to deliver food for the officers, people on the street waving and thanking officers for their hard work protecting the city, and calls to lend support — including financially.
Together with the community and the City, the Beverly Hills Police Department has invested in cutting-edge technology that is revolutionizing law enforcement.
The City has 116 fixed automated license plate readers and more than 3,500 cameras, and all Beverly Hills police cars contain automated license plate readers. At the station, the Real Time Watch Center, connected to the Watch Commander’s office, contains the department’s live 9-1-1 system, a drone operator, and two virtual patrol officers who monitor feeds on a video wall 24 hours a day.
“When someone calls 9-1-1, we hear the call immediately and can start moving our drone toward the scene. We can review the cameras before the dispatcher has finished typing all their questions,” he says. “We’re on scene very quickly, virtually. Our virtual police officers can see which way a suspect went, tell officers what the suspect is wearing, and the officers can arrest that person immediately.”
“The rate at which we identify suspects is way up,” Subin adds. “It’s incredibly effective. The Real Time Watch Center is cutting-edge for a small department like ours.”
Property crimes are down, arrests are up, and the Beverly Hills Police Department has one of the fastest 9-1-1 response times in the region.
His job as Chief, Subin says, “is to make sure the officers keep their investigative prowess going, make sure they are curious, make sure they use technology to their benefit, and maintain their craft as good law enforcement officers.”
Beverly Hills Chief of Police Max Subin. Photo provided by Beverly Hills Police Department
Relationships lead the way
Subin’s career path began nearly 40 years ago when, at age 13, a classmate suggested he attend a Santa Monica Police Explorer meeting.
“I said, ‘What’s that?’” Subin recalls. “I fell in love with it. It was so cool, and I liked the camaraderie.”
Subin became close with the Explorer Advisors, a relationship he maintains to this day. As a youth, he was impressed by their professionalism and the depth of their care. Two former Advisors attended his swearing-in ceremony.
“Becoming a police cadet at Santa Monica was really impressive to me,” Subin shares. “I felt called to this path, to become a police officer and help people through public safety.”
Subin joined the Beverly Hills Police Department 27 years ago, spending many years in the detective bureau and in patrol, crime suppression, community relations, and other assignments.
“Watching the investigations and putting the pieces of the puzzle together always intrigued me,” he said. “Being able to give back property or arrest a suspect and seeing the victims’ joy was [meaningful]to me.”
He recalls that in one case, a family returned home to find their house had been turned upside-down by burglars. He and his partner worked through the night to locate the suspects, determine where they had pawned the items, and recover the family’s possessions.
“Getting those items back to them meant the world to me,” Subin said. “That was so important to my foundation in public service, being there for them in their darkest moment.”
The Beverly Hills Police Department is currently hiring entry-level trainees and lateral police officers. Learn more and apply at joinbhpd.org.
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