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CHULA VISTA, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) — The Chula Vista Police Department has announced the passing of its assistant chief, Phil Collum.
Assistant Chief Collum passed away Friday evening after a short battle with a rare form of cancer surrounded by his family and friends, including his husband, William Lopez, the police department announced Saturday evening.
Collum began his 29-year law enforcement career in college in 1990, serving as a Community Service Officer in Santa Cruz, California.
He became a police officer for the Santa Cruz Police Department before moving back to the San Diego area in 1994, starting at the Chula Vista Police Department that October.
During his career at the Chula Vista Police Department, Collum served in many roles.
He was also a trailblazer, becoming the police department’s first African American Police Lieutenant in 2009, Police Captain in 2018, and Assistant Chief of Police in 2022, the police department said.
Collum was a graduate of California’s prestigious Command College (Class 58) and the FBI National Academy (Class 278). He served as the liaison for the United Way, a liaison for the San Diego Gay & Lesbian Parade, a board member for the California Peace Officers Association (CPOA), a member of the California Police Chiefs Association, and a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police.
Outside of his role as a police officer, he served on the Board of Directors and volunteered at his church, along with traveling south of the border every month to support orphanages in
Tijuana, Mexico, as part of the Corazón de Vida Foundation.
A memorial service to honor and remember Phil Collum will be held at Eastlake Church (located at 2355 Otay Lakes Road) on Saturday, April 20, 2024, at 10 a.m. It will be open to the public.
In honor of Collum’s memory, his family requests that in lieu of flowers you consider making a contribution to a cause that was deeply meaningful to him. The Phillip Collum Scholarship Fund has been established in partnership with the Corazón de Vida Foundation to support orphaned and abandoned children in Baja, Mexico. So far, $600 has been raised of the $50,000 goal. Click here to donate to the cause.
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