Lieutenant Manuel Arana began his law enforcement career at the age of 15 as a Police Explorer with the South Gate Police Department.  

He became a Police Officer in 1997.  As an officer he served as:
• Crime Impact Team Officer
• General Investigations Detective
• Field Training Officer
• Narcotics Detective
• SWAT Officer
• SANE Officer
• Community Relations Officer

In 2011 he was promoted to the rank of Sergeant and supervised:
• The Narcotics and Special Problems Unit
• DEA Task Force
• Community Relations Team

In 2017 he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant.  Lieutenant Arana is currently the weekend graveyard Patrol Watch Commander and his  responsibilities include:
• SWAT Team • K9 Program
• Range Program