Anita Ortega ’82

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Captain Anita Ortega was appointed to the Los Angeles Police Department in March 1984, and is currently the President of Motivational Enterprises, Inc. She was also the first Afro-Puerto Rican to serve as a Area Commanding in the Los Angeles Police Department where she supervised over 300 employees at Hollenbeck Community Police Station, which includes the communities of Boyle Heights, Lincoln Heights, El Sereno and Montecito Heights. Prior to her appointment to the rank of captain, she worked a variety of patrol, investigative and staff assignments. Outside the department, Captain Ortega has a long history of athletic achievements and has been the subject of several Los Angeles Times and international articles. While earning her degree in psychology, she was part of UCLA's 1978 national championship basketball team, arriving as a walk-on from Los Angeles High near South Central L.A., and was recognized as an All-American. In 1979, she represented Puerto Rico in the Pan Am games and played professionally as an All-Star in the now defunct Women’s Basketball League. She later became a premier Division I women basketball official and presently works for several collegiate conferences. Her hard work and accomplishments earned her a place in both the UCLA and LAPD Hall of Fame. In 2011, Captain Ortega was honored as the UCLA Latina Alumna of the Year, and in 2012, she was selected by the California State Assembly as the Woman of the Year for the 46th district. She will retire from the LAPD in the summer of 2016.