The Los Angeles Police Department is among many mourning the loss of former Police Commissioner Rose Matsui Ochi, who died on Dec. 13.

Ochi served on the Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners from August 2001 to June 2005, and played a significant role in the development of policies and procedures that helped the LAPD realize its core value of quality through continuous improvement, police said. Her work helped guide the department following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, and during the initial phases of the federal consent decree.

Ochi also served for more than 20 years in the Office of the Mayor and the Criminal Justice Planning Office, and later became the first executive director of the California Forensic Science Institute. She also made history as the first Asian American to serve as assistant attorney general, advising former President Bill Clinton. 

“Rose Matsui Ochi’s influence on this city and nation will be felt for years to come. She was a tremendous force fighting for civil rights, justice reform and law enforcement accountability and integrity,” LAPD Chief Michel Moore said.