The City of Santa Cruz is in the midst of selecting its next police chief and wants the community to weigh in on the process.
Santa Cruz Police Chief Andy Mills moved departments last October, trading in Santa Cruz for Palm Springs. Now, as the City searches for its next chief, it wants to know the characteristics and priorities Santa Cruz’s next leader should possess.
The City established a survey concerning the new chief hiring at: cityofsantacruz.com/COPselect.
The survey will close on March 24.
Santa Cruz Police Department Deputy Chief Bernie Escalante has served as the Interim Chief since Oct. 30.
A Santa Cruz native, Escalante is a 25-year veteran of the Santa Cruz Police Department, having started his career as a community service officer in 1996. He was appointed to the rank of Deputy Chief in February 2020.
