Nearly a year after the retirement of its previous chief of police, the city of Sebastopol announced its new police chief, Daniel Healy, Monday morning. Healy is currently second-in-command with the Suisun City Police Department. He will start at the department on Dec. 14 and will be sworn in on Dec. 15.
Healy will be taking over the position following Sebastopol’s 10-month search for a new police chief. In the interim, Chief Don Mort has been filling in. Mort was named interim police chief in mid-August following the December 2019 retirement of former police chief James Conner. In the period between Conner’s departure and Mort stepping in, Sebastopol lieutenant Greg DeVore was serving as acting police chief.
“The City of Sebastopol is looking forward to welcoming Chief Healy,” said City Manager McLaughlin in a statement. “Our selection process included exhaustive interviews, first with law enforcement professionals with experience in small cities such as ours, and then by a group of regional residents with deep ties to social justice and racial equity efforts. These interviews were followed up by an interview with the City Council.”
McLaughlin continued, “After interviewing a number of candidates, we concluded that Dan is the right choice for Sebastopol’s needs. In addition to his other qualifications, he’s demonstrated expertise in efficient budget management and recruiting and keeping high quality personnel.”
Healy holds a criminal justice degree from California State University and a Master of Science in criminal justice from Tiffin University. He began his career as a police officer with the Los Angeles Police Department in 2003. After nine years, he moved on to join the Suisun City Police Department as a sergeant, where he’s worked for the past eight years. He was promoted to commander in July 2018.
“Recruiting someone who shares our community values was paramount. Everyone who participated in the recruitment and interview process was impressed with Dan’s sincerity, professionalism and commitment to honest and collaborative communication,” said Sebastopol Mayor Patrick Slayter. “Dan has a history of promoting diversity within department ranks as well as a transparent and positive management style. His track record of community policing and proactive outreach to all segments in the very different communities he has worked speaks to his abilities.”
According to a press release from the city of Sebastopol, while in Suisun City Healy worked on projects including updates to the Solano County emergency communications system and on regional service solutions as part of the Solano Transportation Authority Safe Routes to Schools program. He’s also served as an adjunct instructor at the Los Angeles campus of Union Institute and University for classes in emergency services administration, legal, economic and ethical issues in emergency services management, as well as critical incident management and response.
“I am grateful to the city (of) Sebastopol for entrusting me to be their police chief,” Healy said in a statement. “I look forward to collaborating with the community, city staff and police department personnel. Together we will develop a shared vision for the future of the department. I’m excited to get started.”
