Mike DeWald (@mike_dewald)
The City of Santa Rosa announced Thursday that it selected Rainer Navarro as the next Chief of Police for the city. The 27-year law enforcement veteran, and current Santa Rosa Police Captain, will take over the job on August 1st following the retirement of outgoing Chief Hank Schreeder. The city cited Navarro’s experience with the organization in the areas of gangs, traffic, and quality of life issues that impact the city.
“Ray has dedicated nearly three decades of service to the Santa Rosa community and has been instrumental in moving the department’s strategic plan forward in hos role as a Captain,” said City Manager Sean McGlynn in a statement.
The City chose Navarro following a nationwide search and extensive recruitment, narrowing down applicants to a group of three finalists before making the final decision.
“I’m excited and blessed to be able to lead the organization into the future,” said Navarro in comments to KSRO’s The Drive with Steve Jaxon, “the relationships we’ve built over the years in the community are going help us pass the baton.”
Navarro. the first Latino chief in the department’s history, says he’s excited to tackle some of the most pressing issues facing Santa Rosa.
“We have issues just live every other town we’re dealing with homelessness, gangs, and quality of life,” said Navarro, “but we can build on the collaborations we’ve made to move forward on all these issues.”
Full interview with incoming Santa Rosa Police Chief Ray Navarro below: