New Cotati police chief plans to prioritize theft, traffic, community engagement

Cotati’s new police chief is transitioning from a department in a county with 1.1 million residents to now spearheading law enforcement efforts in a town of just under 8,000.

Chris Simmons, who started as chief Feb. 12, said his goal is to increase communication with the community, address theft and traffic issues, and focus on multifaceted crime prevention as he returns to the North Bay — his home.

He was tapped to fill the role vacated by Chief Michael Parish, who retired in December after 13 years, following a series of interviews with local police, city leaders and business owners.

Simmons grew up in Novato and has lived there most of his life. He attended school in Sonoma County at Sonoma State and Meridian universities, where he earned a bachelor’s, two master’s degrees and finally a Ph.D. in clinical psychology.

Before he completed his dissertation, about 26 years ago, he decided he wanted to attend police academy. Simmons had multiple degrees in psychology, an interest in criminology and wanted to be involved in the community.

Policing, he said, involves all these things.

“I gravitated to it instantly, and I thought it was it was a nice combination of structure and also having the freedom to think,” he said.

The Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office offered him a deputy sheriff position soon after he completed the academy. He has since spent his law enforcement career with the agency in various roles, including as detective, sergeant, lieutenant, captain and most recently as the assistant sheriff in charge of the field operations bureau.

“From a police background standpoint he has tons of experience. He’s very well qualified from experience, education and training certifications,” Cotati City Manager Damien O’Bid said.

“I think he would be an excellent fit for this community and the priorities that the community has for their police department,” he added, referring to the community survey issued late last year asking residents what they wanted from the next police chief.

The No. 1 thing community members responded that they wanted, O’Bid said, was a police chief who engages with the community.

Simmons said he has plans in place to make that happen.

First, he said, he wants to make sure members of his department attend community events not just related to policing. He also plans to continue events like Coffee with a Cop.

He also wants to involve local advocacy groups and community groups to conduct trainings for officers on topics like mental health, he said, as opposed to his employees flying elsewhere for a similar class.

“They share their lens and the officers get to know the perspective of the community and can therefore tailor the public safety method that they that they go by,” he said.

Simmons said he is reaching out to local leaders for feedback on how he may best serve the community. One such person was Brandon Levine, CEO of the dispensary Mercy Wellness, which has locations in Cotati and Santa Rosa.

Levine, who also served on the business owner panel for the police chief selection, said he was impressed with Simmons’ work experience.

“I think collectively we all enjoyed his energy and the fact that he had a lot of experience in leadership in a larger jurisdiction,” Levine said Thursday. “He has skill set and tools that Cotati would benefit from.”

“He's already put those steps forward to reach out to me and now we're in conversation about him coming to go on a grand tour,” he added.

Tackling crime

Simmons said a priority for his department is theft, at both commercial and residential locations, as Cotati is positioned along Highway 101. He acknowledged previous reports of robberies and burglaries in the area.

He wants to help businesses identify how to fortify their structures, he said, and make them appear less desirable to those seeking to steal.

But he wants to hear what businesses need, and that’s why he wanted to start a dialogue with Levine.

“Our officers are very proactive, so they're out and about,” Simmons said. “They're out there looking for criminal behavior, but also at the same time just protecting the community.”

Simmons said he will work with other agencies to understand the root of local issues. A specific issue, he mentioned, was traffic and vehicle crashes. He said he plans to discuss community education efforts and put up more signage along with increasing traffic enforcement.

The new chief said he is excited to return to a smaller city, such as the one where he started as deputy sheriff, and working directly with police department staff and community members.

“I can focus on a group of staff that's here in this building. I see them you know, every day and I have those interactions that I think provide value internally in terms of an organizational culture here,” he said.

“Being able to see people on a more regular basis where I think having those interactions, getting that feedback and having that reciprocity in the way that we interact is important.”

You can reach Staff Writer Madison Smalstig at madison.smalstig@pressdemocrat.com. On X (Twitter) @madi.smals.