Napa Police Captain Selected As City's Next Chief Of Police

NAPA, CA — The city of Napa's next chief of police has been named. Napa police Capt. Jennifer Gonzales, who has served with the Napa Police Department since 2015, will start in her new role as police chief on Aug. 7, the city announced Thursday in a news release.

In her role as captain, Gonzales oversaw the Operations Division, served as the Administration Division captain overseeing the Dispatch Center, acted as the training manager, and was the department's liaison with the State of California Alcohol Beverage Control liaison as well as the liaison for civil and legal claims against the NPD.

"I am incredibly honored and proud to be able to continue to serve the NPD and Napa as the next police chief," said Gonzales. "I will continue to work tirelessly to lead this department of passionate men and women, and grow our department’s reputation within the community as a professional, progressive organization."

City officials said Gonzales, who as police chief stands to earn a maximum salary of $244,000 and a minimum of $202,000, was selected for the role after a months-long recruitment period and community engagement campaign.

“Captain Gonzales has proven herself to be a well-rounded and well-respected leader with established relationships throughout the community, and I look forward to working with her further to ensure public safety is a reality for all Napans,” said Napa City Manager Steve Potter, who in 2017 retired from his role of Napa police chief.

On Jan. 1, former Napa police Chief Robert Plummer retired after holding the role since 2018.

In February, Napa City Council appointed retired Tempe, Arizona police Chief Sylvia Moir to the role of interim Napa police chief.

"I'd like to thank Interim Police Chief Moir for serving Napa during this transitional time as well as our entire community for giving us valuable and honest insights into the kind of leader they believed the City needed," Potter said. "I’m confident that Captain Gonzales will serve the City with dignity and skill."

Potter— who spent 31 years with the NPD, including three as police chief — understands the importance of community involvement in the selection of a new police chief and initiated a months-long recruitment and community engagement campaign, city officials said.

The City gathered extremely valuable information from a diverse cross-section of the community on what qualities were needed in its next police chief through a variety of traditional and nontraditional outreach methods. Potter used the results from a survey, multiple radio interviews, social media communication, numerous in-person and virtual forums as well as individual conversations to make an appointment that reflected the values and desires of the community, city officials said.

After considering feedback from the community and staff, Potter concluded the next police chief needed to be someone who is adept at building and maintaining relationships across all community groups and internally, has outstanding ethics and morals, is flexible and adaptable as well as someone who has technical competency and knows what it takes to be a good police officer. Potter recognizes Gonzales possesses all of these traits and is the right person for the community and the Department.

Prior to joining the NPD, Gonzales served in the Chico Police Department for 20 years where she worked extensively in the Patrol, Administration, Detectives, and Youth Services divisions. She is also a certified member of the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation, part of the 271st class of the FBI National Academy, the 52nd POST Command College class and the 245th POST Sherman Block Supervisory Leadership Institute.

Gonzales has a master's degree in Behavioral Science: Negotiation and Conflict Management from California State University, Dominguez Hills, and a bachelor's degree in Latin American Studies from California State University, Chico.

During her tenure with the Napa Police Department, Gonzales has served in a number of additional roles including Peer Support Coordinator, Child Abuse Prevention Council member, Napa Opioid Safety Coalition member, Napa Valley Community Leaders Coalition member, District Attorney’s Office Liaison, and Press Information Officer/Media Relations.

Once she begins her role as police chief, Gonzales plans to use her experience and knowledge from a number of different divisions and focuses to lead the department through an era of significant change, city officials said.

"The City of Napa would like to thank everyone that participated in the outreach process," the city said. "The input and feedback we received were instrumental in determining who would best fill this role for the entire City."