A Cal State Long Beach graduate and longtime veteran of the Long Beach police force is the department’s newest deputy chief.

Chief Robert Luna announced Thursday that he’d promoted Commander Wally Hebeish to the new rank where he’ll run the Long Beach police’s support bureau, which oversee’s the department’s jail, port police, training division and other operations.

“Deputy Chief Hebeish is known as a leader who promotes the department’s core values of ethics, intelligence and respect,” Luna said in a statement. “His consistent dedication and effort has earned the trust and respect of those within the police department, other city departments, and our community.”

Hebeish has worked at the Long Beach Police Department since 1995. He first started working in law enforcement one year earlier as a deputy at the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, but he quickly transferred to Long Beach, according to a biography provided by the department.

Hebeish earned the rank of sergeant in 2005, advanced to lieutenant in 2013 and reached the rank of commander in 2015.

In that time, Hebeish took assignments including patrol, internal affairs, financial crimes and homicide investigations, according to the department.

As a sergeant, Hebeish investigated major drug traffickers and distributors while he was assigned to the Los Angeles Interagency Metropolitan Police Apprehension Crime Task Force, police said.

As a lieutenant, he oversaw patrol offices and the department’s criminal intelligence section, according to the department.

Most recently, Hebeish has been Luna’s chief of staff.

Hebeish graduated from a Cal State Long Beach with a bachelor’s in criminal justice, according to the department.

“I am very grateful for this opportunity and look forward to assuming a new leadership role in the organization,” Hebeish said in the announcement. “As deputy chief of the support bureau, I am honored to oversee the recruitment and hiring of new police officers as well as ensuring that all police employees receive the most current training available. Our city and community partners are an essential part of our public safety team and I am excited to continue to build and maintain these important relationships.”

Hebeish fills a vacancy in the deputy chief ranks left by David Hendricks who left his position overseeing patrol at the Long Beach Police Department to take a job as Fullerton’s chief of police.

Long Beach Police Deputy Chief Mike Beckman, who oversaw the support bureau before Hebeish, will take over Hendricks’ job running the patrol bureau, according to the department.