Sackett named chief of police

Brett Sackett, who served more than two years as a Sonoma Police Department as sergeant, has been chosen by Sonoma City Manager Mike Fuson as the city’s new chief of police.
“It was a very competitive process – there were four people in the bull-pen at the main office and we’re all good friends and all competing for the same job,” Sackett explained. “It wasn’t one of those things where they came in as ‘window dressing,’ because I was the guy who had been here before. It was a very competitive process and I think that’s what the city wanted and sheriff’s office wanted to provide because it’s important to select the right person for the right job. I do feel very confident that there were three other very qualified candidates.”
Fuson seemed pleased with the decision at a press conference at City Hall yesterday morning, which was attended by a handful of reporters, city personnel and Sackett’s wife Andrea.
“Bret Sackett will be an outstanding addition to the city’s management team and is ideally suited to continue the progress in police services that has been made through the contract police service approach that the city began in 2004,” said Fuson, who was was advised by an interview panel that met with four applicants for the position. All of the applicants were lieutenants from the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Department.
The panel consisted of two members of the City’s management staff as well as three community representatives.
“I think we’ve established ourselves as a good department and we have an outstanding staff that our outstanding public servants who want to do a good job and are here because they want to be here and certainly are the best the department has to offer,” said Sackett, a 17-year law-enforcement veteran. “I’m glad to have them here and it certainly makes my job easier to have that kind of quality down there.”
Sackett takes over for outgoing Chief Paul Day on April 10.