ROBERT KANASKI

COMMISSIONER II

Commissioner Kanaski served the San Diego Police Department from 1980 until 2011. He was promoted to Assistant Chief on August 23, 2008.

His last assignment as a Captain was as the Commanding Officer of Human Resources, Backgrounds and Recruiting and In-Service Training.  Prior to his assignment to Human Resources and Backgrounds and Recruiting, he was the Commanding Officer of Mid-City Division.

Past assignments included the Watch Commander, Vice, Narcotics Task Force, Narcotics Street Team, and Patrol Operations at Mid-City Division, Equal Employment Office, Community Relations, SWAT Special Response Team, Border Crime Intervention Unit, Multi-Cultural Storefront and Field Training.

As the Assistant Chief in Special Operations, he was in charge of Traffic (Accident Investigations, Air Support, E.D.M.U., Fleet Safety, Motors, Parking Enforcement, Red Light Enforcement, Special Event Operations, S.T.O.P., Vehicle Abatement), Operational Support (Canine Liaison, Critical Incident Management [Homeland Security], Mounted Enforcement, Operational Support Administration, Uniform and Safety Equipment, Special Response Team, S.W.A.T., Labor Relations-POA, and the Liaison to Fleet Maintenance.

Commissioner Kanaski  was also the Department’s liaison with the County on the Abandoned Vehicle Abatement and on the Homeland Preparedness Council / Homeland Security Committee.

In 1991, Commissioner Kanaski was awarded the Exceptional Performance Citation for his leadership and personal courage while serving on the Border Crime Intervention Unit.  In 1996 he also received a Life-Saving Certificate for successfully performing CPR on a victim who suffered a heart attack.

Mr. Kanaski and his wife Marjorie have two children, Stephanie and Stephen, and two grandchildren, twins, Dutch and James. They enjoy traveling, spending time with their grandchildren and sports.

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