Fairfield names acting, interim police chiefs

By Ben Antonius | Daily Republic | September 10, 2009 17:59

FAIRFIELD - Call him the short-term short-term solution.

With former Police Chief Kenton Rainey now officially on paid leave, Deputy Police Chief Paul Bockrath is the acting chief of the Fairfield Police Department.

The short-term solution is still on his way. City leaders have identified retired police chief Larry Todd as the preferred candidate to be the department's interim leader.

Bockrath took the reins Sept. 4 and he doesn't expect to hold the job for long. He expects to be acting chief of the department until Sept. 21, when he said Todd is likely to start.

Todd began his career in West Covina in Southern California, where he worked for 15 years as an officer, sergeant and lieutenant and then worked for two years as a captain for the Pleasanton Police Department. He was hired as chief of the Los Gatos/Monte Sereno Police Department in 1988 and served until retirement in 2002.

Under the terms of his retirement from the city of Los Gatos, Todd cannot work more than 960 hours -- about six months of full-time employment -- in a given year. The limitation is standard under the California Public Employees Retirement System.

Fairfield has not started advertising for a permanent police chief yet -- Todd is expected to assist in setting up the hiring process. The city went through a nine-month search to hire Rainey.

Rainey will remain on paid leave until the end of 2009. Under the terms of his resignation deal with the city, the four months of leave would be cut short if Rainey finds a new job.

The unusual terms of the deal -- unlike any others that departing city officials have been offered -- have led some to conclude his departure was forced. Rainey himself has said it was 'mutual.'

Reach Ben Antonius at 427-6977 or bantonius@dailyrepublic.net.