Former Long Beach Police Commissioner Michael Tangney dies at 66
Acting Long Beach City Manager Michael Tangney is pictured during an induction ceremony of the Long Beach City Council on Jan. 1, 2018. Credit: Barry Sloan
Former Long Beach Police Commissioner Michael Tangney, who served in the city’s police department for 42 years, unexpectedly died Wednesday at the age of 66.
Tangney, who was born and raised in Long Beach, served as police commissioner from 2012 through 2020, leading the city through Superstorm Sandy, rebuilding from storm damage, and serving as the city’s interim city manager for a year, inheriting a fiscal crisis.
Friends and colleagues said Tangney started as a beat cop and worked his way up through the department while raising his family and at one time serving as Long Beach school board president.
"He was a good man and always a part of Long Beach," said Long Beach PBA president Sgt. Mike Corbett. "He was real Long Beach. He grew up here and always wanted to make his community better."
Tangney started with a foot patrol beat, where he was given a gun and a badge before he could join the police academy, Corbett said. He spent decades with the department, rising to sergeant and lieutenant, before retiring to take the role of commissioner.
Corbett said Tangney was instrumental in revamping the city’s traffic division, using lasers for speed enforcement.
"He went from carrying a six-shooter to using lasers," Corbett said. "He had a lot of innovative ideas working on the roads and keeping people safe."
Retired Long Beach Police Commissioner Michael Tangney died at his home in Long Beach. Credit: Jim Staubitser
He also synchronized the city’s traffic lights to reduce speed and was a staunch proponent for stricter DWI enforcement. He was personally affected when his niece was decapitated in a crash of a limo that was struck by a drunken driver in 2005.
Those who worked with Tangney said he was funny and a strong leader. He coordinated the city’s Sandy response with the National Guard, State Police and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
He worked alongside Long Beach Building and Fire Commissioner Scott Kemins for nearly 40 years including during Sandy. Kemins said Tangney exuded calmness and control in getting the city resources to recover in the weeks and months after the storm.
"The city’s come a long way and people like him have helped bring us as far as we come," Kemins said. "Sandy was a dark time for us and he was one of our shining stars."
Kemins, who was also Tangney’s next-door neighbor and worked with him in the police department, said Tangney led advancements in the police department as the city grew and changed.
Tangney was also a Little League coach and father to four children. He was about to become a grandfather for the first time. He shared a bond with his children known as "the Tangney Trust."
A wake will be held Sunday from 2 to 9 p.m. at the Christopher T. Jordan Funeral Home in Island Park.
A funeral Mass is planned at St. Ignatius Martyr Catholic Church at 721 W. Broadway in Long Beach.
John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.
