The first thing one notices when walking into the office of National City’s Chief of Police are the loud police scanners playing in the background. The second thing are his office decorations: From an American flag placed behind the chief’s desk, to a corn flakes cereal box with an image of Cesar Chavez. Then there’s a black and white framed poster of John F. Kennedy, just a few feet from his window. It becomes crystal clear that Chief Manuel Rodriguez is a leader who is inspired by other leaders.

“I like that poster because John F. Kennedy inspired an entire generation,” says Rodriguez. “His speeches made history. When he talked about going to the moon, he said ‘we do these things not because they are easy, but because they are hard.’ That’s what leadership is all about.”

Leadership is something Rodriguez understands all too well. He was named National City’s Chief of Police back in March 2013, making him head of a department with 120 employees, including 86 officers. It has been a long journey that began 30 years ago with the San Diego Police Department. After serving 20 years in San Diego, Rodriguez went back to his hometown of National City, where he was named Captain in 2005. Two years later, he was promoted to assistant police chief and was eventually named head of the entire department.

“Just because I’m the chief doesn’t mean that I know everything there is to know,” admits Rodriguez. “A lot of times you have to acknowledge that you owe your success to all the people who helped you along the way, from co-workers to family.”

That also includes his teachers. Rodriguez was born in Mexico. His family moved to National City when he was just seven years old. His English wasn’t all that great at first, but his teachers made sure he wasn’t discouraged.

“I had trouble reading when I was growing up. A lot of it had to do with the fact that English is my second language,” recalls Rodriguez. “So I grew up thinking I wasn’t as bright as some of the other kids. Once I got to Junior High and with all the encouragement from my teachers, things improved a lot.”

Rodriguez attended National City Middle School and then transferred to Sweetwater High, where he was student body president. When he started attending San Diego State University, he still felt the need to improve his English. He was getting by just fine, but he wanted to excel.

“People usually stay away from challenges, that makes them feel weak,” says Rodriguez. “But that’s one of the reasons I decided to take an English class every semester. I needed to take on that challenge. It definitely helped me in the long run.”

At first, majoring in business seemed like the perfect fit for Rodriguez. In high school, he started working in the restaurant industry at the age of 15. He did everything from bussing tables to managing a Baltimore Bagel shop, which is now Einstein Bagels in La Jolla. But something felt amiss. He decided to change his major to Public Administration.

“One of the things I didn’t like about the business world, is that I thought it would sometimes take advantage of people and wouldn’t treat people fairly,” says Rodriguez. “I thought the public sector would give me an opportunity to be fair to people.”

Those are the very values Rodriguez now tries to instill in his team. He actually has a four point list of conduct for officers in his police department. They include community engagement, crime fighting and protection, responsive service, and practicing kindness.

“As a police department, we have to keep one another accountable and earn trust in the community,” explains Rodriguez. “ It’s not something that’s given automatically. You have to treat people fairly to get that support.”

The best part of his job is that every day is completely different. The downside, he says, is having to deal with budgeting, disciplinary process and all the mundane work that comes with the territory. He says that every now and then, he does miss being out on the streets, patrolling a neighborhood, but that too can take its toll.

“You have to put in a lot of extra time, a lot of people often don’t understand that,” says Rodriguez. “You get a phone call at 2:00 a.m. and you have to go out there. You’re on call. You can’t go out and do that without the support of your wife and family.”

After serving 30 years in law enforcement, Rodriguez heads the police department in the very city he grew up in. It makes perfect sense considering one of his life philosophies: Leaving a place better than how one found it.