Santa Rosa's next city manager will pick new police chief

Santa Rosa will postpone hiring a new police chief until a new city manager is brought on board.

City Manager Kathy Millison, who plans to retire in September, announced Thursday the recruitment of a new chief will be delayed to give her replacement the opportunity to select the new chief.

The decision is a switch from her previous remarks on the subject. In an interview last month discussing her decision to retire, Millison said she understood why some might prefer postponing recruitment of key positions, but she said waiting so long "doesn't seem like a good choice, either."

In a statement released Thursday, Millison praised Acting Police Chief Hank Schreeder, calling him a "very capable individual" committed to the job of acting chief.

"My expectation is that Chief Schreeder will actively manage the department, continue to address the operational needs of the department, including budget and position vacancies, and participate in community outreach and discussion of local law enforcement practices to respond to the questions and concerns that have been raised by our community," the release stated.

City Hall was closed Friday and Millison could not be reached for comment. In addition to a permanent police chief and city manager, the city needs to recruit a permanent chief financial officer and fire chief.