Larry Todd did not become Fairfield’s interim police chief just
to keep the seat warm for whoever is eventually hired to run the
department.
Larry Todd did not become Fairfield’s interim police chief just to keep the seat warm for whoever is eventually hired to run the department.
Todd let that be known when he applied for a job and met with City Manager Sean Quinn. That may be the reason why Quinn hired Todd, who has launched a restructuring of the department to improve efficiency and assist in trimming the police budget by $1.8 million. Todd’s 40 years in law enforcement included a four-month stint as Hollister’s interim police chief – it preceded the hiring of current Chief Jeff Miller.
His efforts in the past seven months have led to a resolution that was to be considered by the City Council at its meeting this week. The resolution covers the realignment from four bureaus to two divisions, the addition of four positions and the elimination of three jobs.
As soon as Todd arrived last September, he dissected the department and found chaos following police chief Kenton Rainey’s departure.
“It didn’t take a mental giant to realize the organization was in turmoil after the prior chief had been forced out,” Todd said in a an interview Wednesday. “Calling it turmoil does not mean it was a bad organization or that it was a reflection of the people in the organization.”
Todd also discovered the department’s organizational structure was flawed. Rainey drew from his experience in the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, Todd said, in revamping the police department to his liking. Todd did not like the organizational model, however.
“(Rainey) thought it was a model that would work for him,” Todd said. “It’s not working well today. It’s not going to work as far as where we’re going in the future.”
For instance, Todd said, Rainey promoted Lt. Paul Bockrath to deputy chief – just as a sheriff can have an undersheriff. Todd has eliminated the position of deputy chief and made Bockrath a captain in one of the two new divisions, support services and operations.
Bockrath will receive his division assignment once a lieutenant in the department has been promoted to division captain, Todd said. Todd went out of his way to praise Bockrath for being his right-hand man during the transition and restructuring.
“He’s still the No. 2,” Todd said. “He’s one of the most competent, up-and-coming command officers that I’ve come across in a long time.”
Councilman John Mraz said he will speak in support of Bockrath at tonight’s meeting. Mraz also praised Todd for not being afraid to get his hands dirty. Mraz was an outspoken critic of Rainey and has a vested interest in the department as a retired police officer.
“(Todd) has great credentials, unlike the other chief. He has done this with other agencies and that’s what he’s going to do right here,” Mraz said. “He takes care of problems and then rides out of town. He knows that he’s not going to be liked. He’s not going to adhere himself to the cops by what he’s doing.”
If Todd has stuck his nose where some officers do not believe it belongs, he’s not worried. He said he did not come to Fairfield just to twiddle his thumbs. He has spent 40 years in law enforcement, including 15 as Los Gatos’ police chief. Aside from Hollister, he has also served interim stints in Clear Lake and Novato.
“I told (Quinn) if that’s what he wanted, he should not hire me,” Todd said. “Do I walk on water? I don’t think so. If there are feathers ruffled, that’s life in the big city. I don’t worry about those type of things.”
The Free Lance contributed to this report.
