Santa Cruz Chief of Police Andrew Mills is leaving the department a little more than four years after being named the city’s top cop to take the same position with the City of Palm Springs. His final day with SCPD will be Oct. 29.
Mills has served 38 years in law enforcement. Before coming to Santa Cruz, he served as chief of police in Eureka and as a lieutenant in the San Diego Police Department where he practiced, supervised and taught problem-oriented policing since it was first introduced to his agency in the early 1990s. He received the Police Executive Research Forum Gary P. Hayes award in 2000 for his efforts to improve policing nationwide.
“During his tenure, Chief Mills has made progress in moving our police department toward a culture of community policing, problem-solving and transparency. In addition, he strengthened the department’s capabilities around mental health crisis response. We wish him the best in his new role and thank him for his dedicated service,” Santa Cruz Mayor Donna Meyers said in a press release.
Interim City Manager Rosemary Menard will appoint an Interim Chief of Police prior to Mills’s departure.
