FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Fremont, Calif. – March 8, 2018 – Fremont Police Chief Richard Lucero announced he will retire from the City of Fremont in July of 2018. Chief Lucero began his career with the City as a police officer in 1987 and rose through the ranks to become police chief in 2013. Over the course of three decades, Chief Lucero’s entire law enforcement career has been with Fremont. As he rose through the ranks of sergeant, lieutenant and captain, Chief Lucero served in several specialized assignments including SWAT, Street Crimes, Narcotics, and Internal Affairs. Chief Lucero is a current member of several law enforcement and nonprofit organizations, including the California Police Chiefs’ Association, International Association of Chiefs of Police, Niles Rotary, Officers Give Hope, and is a past president of the California Peace Officers Association. He is a lifetime member of the California Narcotic Officer’s Association. To add to his achievements, Chief Lucero obtained his law degree early in his career and is a current member of the California State Bar. He is a recipient of the CALI Excellence for the Future Award in the study of local government law.
Chief Lucero is extraordinarily grateful for what the members of the department have contributed to the Fremont community during his administration. The holistic approach to improving its impact on the community is evident in the breadth of programs enacted during his tenure. From introducing the use of regionalized trailing hounds Blaze and Xena to better locate missing persons and criminal offenders, to launching a pilot study of electric patrol vehicles, Chief Lucero and his team have displayed a singular commitment to making Fremont a safe place to live and work.
“Police Chief Rich Lucero has been the bedrock of the Fremont Police Department, driving innovation and inspiring excellence among those he worked with,” said Fremont City Manager Fred Diaz. “His leadership guided the department through the most difficult of circumstances, and they truly rose to every challenge. I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to serve with Rich and I’m going to miss his thoughtful and responsive approach that helped the department, and community, to flourish.”
Chief Lucero has worked closely with department members to implement initiatives that decrease local crime, improve officer safety, reduce traffic injury accidents, provide education and awareness, and emphasize candid and trusted communication with the people the department serves. These efforts have been the core strength and foundation in the relationship the department has with the community. A major focus over the last several years has been the adoption of intelligence-based policing strategies. The adoption of intel-led policing has contributed to a more than 60 percent decrease in residential burglaries since the spring of 2013. Other initiatives led the department to establish a public and private community video partnership program, initiate implementation of a body-worn camera program, and have improved safety equipment for field personnel. Additional programs involved expanding the department’s capacity to respond and de-escalate situations of acute mental illness and health crises through comprehensive crisis intervention methods and training; the creation of a specialized mobile evaluation team in partnership with Alameda County Behavioral Health, and by providing patrol officers with lifesaving equipment they need to better serve the City’s residents, including AEDs to treat heart attack victims and naloxone to counter opioid overdose.
Chief Lucero and his family are exceptionally appreciative of what serving the Fremont community has meant in their lives and look with optimism toward what the Police Department and community will continue to achieve together in the future.
The City will conduct an internal recruitment in the coming months.
Contacts:
Cheryl Golden
Communications Manager
City of Fremont
510-284-4025
[email protected]
Geneva Bosques
Public Affairs Manager
Fremont Police Department
510-790-6957
[email protected]
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