On Tuesday, the City of Oakley welcomed its new police department with a ceremonial swearing just before the City Council meeting.
The move comes after more than a year in the making when the City Council voted to break away from the Sheriffs Office citing costs.
Since its Incorporation, the City of Oakley has formally contracted with the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office for police services. At that time there were 17 sworn personnel at a cost of approximately $2.5 million. As of April 2015, there were 28 sworn personnel costing about $8.2 million.
Oakley says by forming its own police department, they will save money and be able to have more officers on the streets. As of Tuesday, the city had 29-officers.
Chief Chris Thorsen highlighted Tuesday night how the city has grown since 1999. The police
“Tonight we celebrate another milestone in the City of Oakley and I introduce to you the community, your new police department,” said Thorsen. “I would be remiss if I didn’t thank the Sheriff’s Department, they served this community. Our success will be traced back to the success of the sheriff’s office.”
Mayor Kevin Romick then introduced the entire police department to the city while they held an honoring swearing in ceremony.
Here are some of the photographs from the ceremony
