Lieutenant Carlos Diaz oversees Area 1 Command. He has served the Costa Mesa Police Department for 28 years in a professional staff and sworn role. He has worked on various details, including Traffic, Traffic Investigators, Detectives, South Coast Plaza Detail, and as a Field Training Officer. Lt. Diaz has also overseen the Professional Standard Bureau and Training Bureau. He has a bachelor’s degree in organizational management from Vanguard University and is completing his Master’s in Public Safety Leadership at the University of San Diego. He assumed Area 1 Command in May of 2024. Lt. Diaz also manages the department’s Community Policing Unit, Jail, and Chaplain Program. He is a fluent Spanish speaker.