A trailblazing officer with true ‘heart behind the badge’
By Morgan M. Hurley
Phil Collum, 54, a much heralded member of the San Diego LGBTQ community as well as the local community at large, passed away April 12 from cancer, with his husband William by his side. Collum had served with the Chula Vista Police Department for 29 years, attaining the rank of second in command.
In January of 2023, this newspaper selected Collum as one of its “Persons of the Year.”
In the article that accompanied the announcement, author Nicole Murray Ramirez wrote, “The city of Chula Vista recently appointed new Assistant Police Chief Phil Collum who is now the highest ranking openly LGBTQ+ law enforcement officer in San Diego County and rightfully is one of our Persons of the Year.
“Though born in Washington DC, Phil was raised in San Diego and has lived here since he was six years old. He has been in law enforcement for almost 30 years. Phil Collum was a late bloomer and came out when he was 26 years old; his parents have always given him their unconditional love and support. Phil is married to well-known San Diego businessman William Lopez, president of Alternative Strategies. They have been together for almost 15 years, and both had their parents at their wedding. Phil’s parents have always instilled in him to be a person of integrity and that has always been the core of his well-known and respected reputation.”
The article also explained that Collum’s Chief of Police, Roxanne Kennedy, who was Collum’s mentor and had trained him early in his career, coined the phrase “heart behind the badge.” Collum obviously embraced that mindset when he established and ran the department’s Community Engagement division in 2022. Some say he was instrumental in sensitive negotiations that allowed the return of police officers marching in the Pride parade.
On April 13, when sharing the news of Collum’s passing, San Diego Union Tribune (UT) had this to say.
“In announcing his death, the [Chula Vista Police] department hailed Collum, 54, as ‘a true trailblazer,’ noting he had been tapped as the department’s first Black lieutenant in 2009, first Black captain in 2018, and first Black assistant chief in 2022. He was also the first openly gay male officer in the department.”
The UT also reported that his passing came after a 5-month battle with a rare form of cancer; soft tissue sarcoma.
As news spread that weekend of Collum’s death, Facebook was inundated with posts and memories about the impact he had made and the void his death will leave behind.
Dozens and dozens of people shared thoughts of his smile, his kindness, his spirit, his generosity, his friendship, integrity and his ethics and professionalism. A common theme was also his passion for the Corazon De Vida Foundation, an Irvine-based nonprofit that oversees 11 orphanages supporting nearly 500 children who were abandoned or orphaned in the Tijuana region. Their Facebook page describes them as “A for-purpose organization giving life-saving support to orphanages in Mexico and building futures for abandoned children through long-term education.”
Collum and his husband visited the orphanages regularly and embraced, mentored and loved the children there; and they loved them back. He spent the better part of the last decade supporting the organization, especially with his time. He was also president of Missiongathering Church in North Park, which is where he first became introduced to Corazon De Vida.
At his celebration of life, held April 20 at Eastlake Church, attendees were encouraged to donate to the newly established Phillip Alonzo Collum Scholarship Fund, “dedicated to empowering the dreams of orphaned youth in Baja California,” and in just 10 days, $31,250 of the $50,000 needed for the launch has already been met.
If you’d like to honor Phil Collum’s memory by making a donation, visit bit.ly/4dk3pnb.
To read the article announcing his 2023 Person of the Year award from LGBTQ San Diego County News, visit bit.ly/3UmJ1ZR.
—Morgan M. Hurley is the editor-in-chief of this newspaper. You can reach her at [email protected].
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