A new police chief is coming to Windsor, and if the selection seems different than last time, you can blame COVID and timing. In a statement dated May 11, Windsor Town Manager Ken MacNab announced the appointment of Mike Raasch as Windsor’s new police chief, effective May 12. Raasch will replace Windsor Police Chief Ruben Martinez, who announced his retirement after two years of service as Windsor’s chief and a 30-year career in law enforcement.
When Martinez got the job two years ago, the process was relatively public-facing, with the top two candidates giving presentations in a public town council meeting, introducing themselves to council members and the citizenry. However, then, as now, neither the council nor the citizens select or hire the chief — that duty falls directly on the town manager.
“The town manager has hiring authority over all town department heads,” MacNab said in an interview with the Times. “Pursuant to an agreement for law enforcement services, the town of Windsor contracts with the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office for law enforcement services, including all police personnel. Under the agreement, the sheriff coordinates the selection and appointment of the chief with the town. The town manager designates the final selection of the chief, and the chief remains an employee of the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office.”
According to MacNab, when the town has an opening, the sheriff, in this case Mark Essick, forwards candidates for the town’s consideration. “To be a candidate, an officer must be a lieutenant with at least one year of experience at the lieutenant level and must also be interested in the police chief position,” said MacNab. “Like last time, we had two candidates forwarded to us by the sheriff. I held both informal and formal interviews with each candidate. Chief Martinez was included in the formal interview process. I also asked each council member individually to share with me what qualifications were important to them; their feedback was incorporated into the interviews.
“Last time the candidates being considered introduced themselves at the start of a council meeting,” MacNab continued. “This is not a required part of the process but something I did in the interest of having the council and the public see the candidates. I had hoped to do this again this year but unfortunately the timing did not work out. We will introduce the new police chief at an upcoming council meeting.”
Introducing Mike Raasch
According to a statement from the town, Raasch has served in the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office for over 25 years, where he currently holds the rank of lieutenant. Assignments Raasch has held during his career with the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office have included the Community Oriented Policing & Problem Solving Unit; Property Crimes Investigations Detective; Patrol Lieutenant – Watch Commander; and Cold Case Detective.
Raasch most recently oversaw both the Guerneville and Sonoma Valley Sheriff’s Office substations. In addition, Raasch held collateral assignments, which included managing the Field Training Officer Program, the Helicopter Unit, Crisis Intervention Training and the patrol vehicle fleet.
A story in Sonoma West Times & News in May of 2019, showed Raasch being welcomed back to the Guerneville substation by enthusiastic residents.
“As a river substation deputy, he got to know firsthand ‘the effectiveness of getting to know people’ by walking frequently in the downtown commercial area,” said the 2019 piece. “As the river’s new lieutenant, Raasch said he’s encouraging substation deputies to find opportunities to get around town on foot and talk to people.”
Raasch also served as a detective in Windsor previously and prior to serving with the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office, Raasch served six years as a police officer with the Sausalito Police Department. While in west county he also worked on investigating the 2004 Jenner double homicide case in which two people camped on the beach were found shot to death.
In a statement on the hiring MacNab said, “We are excited to have Mike serve as our police chief. Mike’s background and experience in law enforcement and commitment to community policing make him a great fit for Windsor. He knows the officers in our police department well and will be a great leader.”
“I look forward to engaging the community and continuing the positive relationships that Chief Martinez has developed,” Raasch said in the same statement. “My entire career has been focused on community oriented policing. I am very excited to be selected as the next Windsor Police Department chief of police.”
“I am pleased with (Raasch’s) appointment as Windsor’s next police chief. The Sheriff’s Office values its relationship with the town of Windsor and we are committed to providing top quality law enforcement services to the community,” said Sonoma County Sheriff Mark Essick in a statement.
According to the town of Windsor, the town “continues to be rated as one of the safest cities in California, while continuing to enjoy cost-effective police services at a per-capita cost that is 39% below the average of other cities in the county.”
