Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2006 • Susanville police chief accepts job in Los Banos

Publisher’s note: This story originally appeared in the Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2006, edition of the Lassen County Times.

Susanville will lose its chief of police in two weeks.

Chris Gallagher, who turned 50 last week, has accepted a position as chief of police in the city of Los Banos, a growing community of 35,000 in the San Joaquin Valley near the intersection of Interstate 5 and Highway152. His last day on the job in Susanville will be Sunday, Sept. 17.

Gallagher said many members of his family and his wife’s family live near Los Banos.

“All my family lives in Santa Cruz or Santa Clara counties,” Gallagher said. “I’ve got two children in Watsonville, and one of my sons just started high school in Aptos. It’s only a one-hour drive from Los Banos compared to the six-hour drive from Susanville. It will be nice to be closer to them and be able to participate in their activities.”

The chief said his mom’s getting older and he has sisters and brothers in the area so he’ll be “getting back to family.”

His wife’s brother is a police officer in San Francisco and her parents live in Watsonville.

“I’m looking forward to the challenges I’ll face as the chief in Los Banos,” Gallagher said.

First, he’ll oversee the installation of mobile digital computers in all the patrol cars.

The department, with more than 40 officers, is short on staff and Gallagher plans to get new officers on board as soon as possible.

The police department has outgrown its historic facility downtown on J Street, and Gallagher may be involved in the design and construction of a new police department building.

“I’m especially proud of my people,” Gallagher said of the officers he’s worked with during his 3-1/2 year tenure in Susanville. “My people have done a great job.”

Gallagher counts the radar speed limit signs and increased traffic enforcement among his accomplishments. He’s thankful there hasn’t been another truck accident in Uptown Susanville and laments that the truck barrier hasn’t been completed yet.

Gallagher is especially proud of his involvement with the management team that runs the city.

“The finances were pretty bleak when I got here,” Gallagher said. “We’re much better off now. The team effort pulled everybody out.”

After he leaves, the Susanville City Council will take up the issue of lighted crosswalks near the new mini-mart near the Diamond Mountain Casino. If the lights are successful there, they may be installed on Main Street, if Caltrans approves the project.

He said there’s a correlation between traffic enforcement and automobile accidents, and more enforcement means fewer accidents.

The chief is also proud of his involvement with “auxiliary things” in the community such as getting to know the community leaders and members and serving on the Lassen County Fish and Game Commission, the Juvenile Justice Commission, the Citizens Advisory Commission for Prisons and the Susanville Rotary.

In addition, he’s been involved in Best of Broadway, Susanville Soroptimists, Mystery Theatre, served on the board of directors of the Susanville Symphony and is the former interim worship leader at Honey Lake Valley Assembly of God.

Before coming to Susanville, Gallagher worked as the chief of police in Arcata for nearly two years. He served as a police officer for the city of Watsonville for nearly 21 years, and he eventually became the captain in charge of investigations. He also worked for seven months as a park ranger back in 1980.

Gallagher took his POST training at the Gavilan College Academy in Gilroy, earned a master’s degree in public administration from Golden Gate University. In 1995, he attended the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia.