The Redding City Council will decide on Tuesday whether to hire a law enforcement retiree from out of the area as interim chief of police.
If approved by the council, Robert “Hank” Schreeder would start in the temporary position on July 22, according to the council’s agenda packet for its meeting on July 21. The position is capped at 960 hours during the fiscal year, according to the contract.
Schreeder could continue in the interim Redding police chief post “during the city’s recruitment and selection of a permanent Chief of Police,” according to the staff report.
The agenda gave no further information about the interim Redding police chief candidate.
But reached via LinkedIn, Schreeder confirmed he is the one who is applying for the Redding job.
Schreeder was chief of the Santa Rosa Police Department for 27 years before retiring in 2019. He went on to serve as interim police chief in Emeryville and Novato, according to his profile on LinkedIn, and was an independent consultant who worked for public safety departments.
City leaders have focused on finding a new police chief since former Chief Brian Barner retired in July.
Redding hired Bob Murray & Associates to lead the nationwide search for a new police chief. The police chief job posting closed on July 5.
In early July, the city announced that leadership of the 114-officer force would rotate among three police captains until a new chief is selected: Capt. Brian Cole, Capt. Regan Ortega and Capt. Chris Smyrnos.
On July 17, Ortega said via email that RPD has two captains: “Captain Chris Smyrnos and me, Captain Regan Ortega. Captain Smyrnos and I are rotating Acting Chief responsibilities until the interim Chief arrives, which is anticipated to occur in August.”
It is unclear what became of Cole.
City Manager William Tarbox is responsible for making the formal decision on Redding’s next police chief and the city council must also ultimately approve the selection, said Redding Mayor Mike Littau in an interview with the Record Searchlight on July 14.
Former Redding City Manager Barry Tippin said in January 2022 that of the city’s 88 executives, slightly more than half were eligible for retirement “within two years.” Tippin retired in 2025.
Barner served his last day in the position on June 30, ahead of his official Sept. 22 retirement date after a 34 year career with the Redding Police Department.
Michele Chandler covers public safety, reports on major trials happening in Shasta County Superior Court, writes about restaurants and handles whatever else comes up for the Redding Record Searchlight/USA Today Network. Accepts story tips at 530-338-7753 and at mrchandler@gannett.com. Please support our entire newsroom’s commitment to public service journalism by subscribing today.
This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Redding weighs hiring interim police chief coming from outside
Reporting by Michele Chandler, Redding Record Searchlight / Redding Record Searchlight
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By Michele Chandler, Redding Record Searchlight | USA TODAY Network
