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Borbely was all set to retire from his position as a captain with the Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff in March, "I was ready for a change," he stated, but then he heard about the lieutenant position opening up in Moraga. Acquainted with MPD's outgoing Lt. Brian South, Borbely took a quick tour of the area with Chief Jon King and decided to start the application process with the realization that he wasn't "ready to hang up the gun belt."
Serving his country in one form or another began when Borbely enlisted in the United States Army in June 1990, and headed to Fort Benning, Georgia for the infantry. He also attended Jump School (paratrooper training) and was assigned to the 3rd Armored Division in Germany. Within 30 days he was deployed to Saudi Arabia and the Gulf War where he served "just shy of six months." His last transfer was to Fort Stewart, Georgia.
Borbely wore many hats with the county before coming to Moraga. From working as a patrol officer with the Deputy Sheriff, he later moved to Oakley's newly formed police department under contract with the sheriff's office, where he became the first lieutenant in charge of the Traffic Investigations Division. Known as a problem solver he worked in the Dispatch Center as a detective while also running Volunteer Services and Training. After duties as an investigator he moved to the Delta Patrol Station to become the house commander and was eventually promoted to captain overseeing the Special Operations Division for Danville, Lafayette, Orinda, AC Transit and a hospital contract. As if that wasn't enough, he later moved to Technical Services.
Commuting from Brentwood, Borbely has three children (two daughters age 22 and 20, and a son who is 13). So far he feels that his first month with MPD "has gone swimmingly. I like the pace, and I like the people [town staff]. The community has been very supportive." To date there have been no on-the-job surprises while working in Moraga, "at least nothing that would scare me."
Currently Borbely's duties with MPD are "as assigned," and he also supervises reports, is involved with Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST), oversees fleet maintenance and serves as MPD's community liaison officer.
Borbely believes that his past training experience might add a new dimension to MPD, otherwise "I think that things are working fine. I just want to continue the mission established by Chief King by bringing the community together and foster the relationships that he's built."
Reach the reporter at:
Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA