Police Chief Andrew Mills To Leave Santa Cruz In Weeks Ahead

SANTA CRUZ, CA — The City of Santa Cruz will soon bid farewell to Police Chief Andrew Mills, who will lead a Southern California police department next month.

Following a nationwide search and selection process that included city, community and police input, Mills was chosen to lead in the desert city of Palm Springs. He will leave Santa Cruz Oct. 29 to begin his new position at the Palm Springs Police Department early November.

Santa Cruz Interim City Manager Rosemary Menard will appoint an interim police chief before Mill's last day on the job and the city said it will share more information about the search for a replacement when it is able.

Mills has led the Santa Cruz Police Department since 2017 in the city of 63,000 residents, although his law enforcement career stretches back nearly 40 years.

“The Palm Springs Police Department has a long-standing tradition of inclusive community policing and building important neighborhood and stakeholder relationships,” Mills said. "I am honored to be chosen to serve as the next Palm Springs Police Chief, and I look forward to working with our officers, the community, City Manager and Council to continue providing an exceptional level of public safety service to the Palm Springs community.”

Mayor Donna Meyers said in a statement that Mills improved the department's mental health crisis response and pushed it "toward a culture of community policing, problem-solving and transparency."

Mills began his law enforcement career in 1983 as a patrol officer with the San Diego Police Department and worked his way up to commanding officer of gang investigations and criminal intelligence/counter terrorism, rising to the rank of captain and commanding officer in 2011, overseeing the San Diego Police Department’s Western and Eastern divisions. He followed that up as chief of police in the Northern California city of Eureka, where he served for four years in the top spot before getting tapped to lead in Santa Cruz.

Mills was hired in Santa Cruz as a change agent to help move the department toward a culture of community policing and problem solving, while bringing greater transparency and community collaboration, according to Palm Springs officials.

Mills will replace Palm Springs Police Chief Bryan Reyes, who served 27 years in the department. Reyes announced in May that he would retire effective Aug. 23. Following his summer departure, Palm Springs Police Capt. Melissa Desmarais was appointed as acting chief.

The selection process for the new Palm Springs police chief involved screening more than 50 applicants and two surveys that queried local residents and police department employees about attributes they were looking for in their next leader.

A graduate of Indiana Wesleyan University, Mills also graduated from the FBI National Academy Session 250, Quantico Virginia and California P.O.S.T Management School.

Appointed by former Gov. Jerry Brown to serve on the Board of State and Community Corrections, Mills also serves as Executive Chair of the California Violence Prevention Grant and on the Board of the Herman Goldstein Award for Excellence in Problem Oriented Policing. He is also a member of the Major Cities Chiefs Intelligence Commanders Group.

“I am very excited to see Chief Mills join our team. We have had an extensive process where the candidates were tested on their values, knowledge, skills and abilities with a broad cross-section of stakeholders serving as evaluators,” City Manager Justin Clifton said. “Chief Mills was clearly the top performer in the process. I think he will be able to integrate with our team and community seamlessly. He brings a wealth of experience and leadership that, with help from the rest of our team, can take us to the next level.”