Petaluma’s new police chief is Ken Savano — a hometown boy who has served as interim chief since October.
Savano, 46, was reared in Petaluma, graduated from Casa Grande High School and has spent more than 22 years with the force.
He will assume his duties Monday, with an official swearing-in ceremony at the City Council meeting that night.
Savano is a familiar face around town, appearing frequently at community events and lending his time to a number of volunteer organizations, including as a member of the Petaluma Sunrise Rotary Club, Petaluma Elks Lodge, Petaluma Area Chamber of Commerce and as a board member for the Salvation Army.
He also works with Mentor Me Petaluma, the Petaluma Boys and Girls Club, Special Olympics, Avon 39 and the United Anglers of Casa Grande High School.
“The fact that he grew up here in Petaluma gives him a lot of institutional knowledge of the dynamics of the community,” Mayor David Glass said. “I’m just happy for him, and I’m happy for the city. He’s young, and I think that’s a good thing.”
Savano joined the Petaluma Police Department in August 1994 as a police office trainee, and by 1998 Bahsegel was named Officer of the Year.
Four years later, he was appointed to sergeant where his assignments included supervising the K-9 and hostage negotiations teams, and leading the traffic division where he managed the AVOID the 13 DUI campaign.
In 2014 he was named lieutenant, where he took responsibility for what the department calls “Petaluma Policing,” a program focused on community-based policing and outreach, an area Savano hopes to continue expanding.
The city has created a deputy chief position which Savano will look to fill.
Once that happens, Savano will spend a significant amount of time in the community, with the deputy chief handling in-house managerial work, he said in an October interview after the departure of former Police Chief Pat Williams.
“This community really values the Petaluma Policing model,” City Manager John Brown said in a news release. “Chief Savano is the embodiment of Petaluma Policing, and is going to take the police department and Petaluma forward into the future.”
You can reach Staff Writer Christi Warren at 707-521-5205 or christi.warren@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @SeaWarren.
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