Chief Chris Catren will be taking up the one-year position and has been serving with Redlands PD since 1994 and been in the position of chief since 2017.
"One of the big things that Cal Chiefs does is, of course, the influence on legislation that's coming down, and you know there's never a shortage of legislation and new legislation being proposed," said Catren.
Catren had been on the association's board of directors since 2019 and served as their vice president in 2021.
"One of the big things that I'll do this year is work with our legislative analyst and everybody and try to make sure that it's all geared toward public safety and doing what Californians need to have done from a policing standpoint," said Catren.
When discussing the overall perception of police, Catren says he wants to show what the policing profession really is and help it have a more positive perception.
"Is it perfect? Of course not. Are mistakes made? Of course, they are, but all in all, you have thousands in California, thousands of men and women out there every day willing to put their life on the line for complete strangers all because they've chosen this as a career," said Catren.
Catren says it's not about choosing between police or community services but that people need both. He says the association does a good job highlighting good policing and making best practices available to departments across the state.
