SJPD captain will lead local department

GUSTINE – A retiring San Jose police captain will be Gustine’s next chief of police, city officials announced last week.

City Manager Margaret Silveira said Richard Calderon has accepted the position, and is expected to assume his new duties Jan. 4.

Calderon is a 30-year law enforcement veteran who has spent his entire career with the San Jose Police Department. He is retiring to accept the Gustine position, Silveira said.

“He is a young retiree from one of the finest departments in the state, and we look forward to having him on board,” Silveira commented.

She said Calderon, one of 19 applicants for the Gustine job, stood out for a number of reasons.

“He had a lot of management background, and great community involvement in his previous career in San Jose,” Silveira said. “He was very involved in gang programs in San Jose, and we look forward to seeing him implement some of those programs here.”

She added that Calderon “is very strong in the area of connecting the community with the police department,” a high priority for the city in its search for a new chief of police.

Fostering that community support is crucial to the overall success of the police department, Calderon said Friday.

While he is moving from an urban department to a small-town setting, Calderon reflected, interactions with people remain at the heart of the profession.

“Working in the community is my forte,” he told Mattos Newspapers. “I love interacting with people.”

Calderon researched the community extensively before deciding to apply, said council member Joe Oliveira.

“He knew our problems and our history, everything,” said Oliveira. “He is very impressive, and he come out on top of every interview.”

Calderon said he found the community and its people to his liking.

“As I look at Gustine and talk to the people here, this is what Norman Rockwell was talking about,” he said. “People have been very friendly and respectful. I am pleased with this opportunity.”

His goal, Calderon stressed, was not to have a department of his own but to lead a department that Gustine can call its own.

Silveira said the city had advertised the position with a $72,000 annual salary, but the council authorized increasing that amount by $6,000 a year in order to reach an agreement with Calderon.

He will receive additional compensation in lieu of city-paid benefits, Silveira added.