VISTA — Sheriff’s Capt. Ed Prendergast has been promoted to the rank of commander after two years of service as the city’s chief of police. The popular 53-year-old will now head the Southeast Command, overseeing departments across the eastern half of the county as well as Imperial Beach.

With Prendergast’s appointment two years ago, police policy shifted to a more community-oriented, outreach-heavy strategy. Sheriff’s deputies became familiar, friendly faces at soccer festivals and safety fairs. Officers and crime prevention specialists were posted in the city’s schools.

The department held up to four community meetings a year with the city at large to solicit resident advice and hear their concerns. Prendergast also established ties with Vista’s large Hispanic community, creating the Latino Advisory Committee, which provides feedback to the department and recommendations on future crime prevention projects.

“He just really changed the way everyone thought about how to interact with the community. Really proactive and building trust,” said Kathy Valdez, Vista’s community outreach programs advisor. “We’ve had some great captains over the years, but I think he came with a different perspective and trained the ranks to think in that way.”

“You can only have effective crime suppression if you have effective community support ... when people tell us what’s going on and people tell us when they have complaints, report suspicious neighbors (and) activities,” Prendergast said.

The captain’s presence was definitely felt in the Townsite neighborhood of Vista.

“We have reported issues for years ... but things didn’t seem to change. Once we mentioned them to him, he assigned a deputy, they were on it, and we saw the neighborhood improve some,” Townsite Partnership Director Catherine Manis said. “He made himself available for the residents or for city staff to sit down and talk about the situation. He never failed to get back to us.”

Lt. Steve Rossall is serving as acting-captain until Prendergast’s replacement is assigned, likely by the end of May. “The sheriff will make some promotions (this) week and from there the city will interview at least two potential candidates, and they will decide who they like,” Prendergast said.

“I know there’s a commitment on the part of the department to keep all the programs going that have been successful,” he added.

“I know we’ll never have another Ed Prendergast, but I hope (his replacement) is someone who shares his philosophy of community oriented policing,” Manis said.

“He’s going to be missed. He’s done an outstanding job and I hope his replacement can be half as good,” Councilman Steve Gronke said in praise at the April 22 City Council meeting.