23-year law enforcement veteran picked as Sonoma’s new police chief

A 23-year law enforcement veteran has been named Sonoma’s new police chief.

Sonoma City Manager Cathy Capriola late last week made the announcement, saying Sonoma County Sheriff’s Lt. Orlando Rodriguez will take over the police department July 17, immediately following Chief Bret Sackett’s retirement.

Rodriguez, who’s the second Latino in the county to be named police chief, will be a familiar face for the city.

He was one of the first deputies to work in Sonoma when the Sheriff’s Office began serving the city in 2004.

Capriola said Rodriguez has an understanding of small town policing combined with large agency experience. She said he speaks fondly and passionately of his nearly five years in Sonoma, first as an officer and later as a sergeant in Sonoma and the valley.

“We are excited about Lt. Rodriguez’s commitment to the community-policing model, his passion for the Sonoma community, and his authentic servant-leadership style,” Capriola said.

Rodriguez started his career as a Petaluma police officer in 1995.

Four years later, he joined the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office, where he was promoted to sergeant in 2014 and then lieutenant in March.

“He’s one of those people who really gets the big picture,” said Sheriff’s Capt. Mark Essick, who was elected in June to be Sonoma County’s next sheriff.

Rodriguez was chosen by Sonoma city officials from multiple sheriff’s lieutenants who applied, although Essick wasn’t sure how many of the eight eligible lieutenants put in for the chief’s job.

Rodriguez’s experience includes patrol, traffic enforcement, drug and domestic violence investigations, crisis negotiations and community-oriented policing, Sonoma city officials said in a statement. Rodriguez also speaks Spanish.

While in Sonoma, he was responsible for patrol operations before he being assigned to the sheriff’s personnel bureau. There, he gained experience in staff administration and hiring new employees, city officials said.

The police department has about 16 employees, including two sergeants and 10 patrol deputies, according to the city’s website.

No salary information was available.

Essick on the campaign trail talked about the need to increase diversity at the sheriff’s office, including in the upper ranks. The department’s current lieutenant line-up includes three Latinos and an African American, but no women, he said.

Rodriguez will be the second Latino police chief in the county - Carlos Basurto, a sheriff’s lieutenant, serves as Windsor’s police chief through a contract with the sheriff’s office.

“Orlando was promoted because he’s talented. This was not a promotion to simply check a box,” Essick said.

He said Rodriguez’s ability to speak Spanish fluently will help him with reaching many civic groups in the Sonoma area.

“Being bilingual is going to open doors for him in the community and help him engage with those folks,” Essick said.

You can reach Staff Writer Randi Rossmann at 707-521-5412 or randi.rossmann@pressdemocrat.com. Email Lorna Sheridan at lorna.sheridan@sonomanews.com.