History of Tracy PD

The increase in staff brought the need to purchase Tracy’s first police car. In January 1921, a member of the Board announced he knew of a Ford touring car, in perfect condition, that could be purchased for $350. The purchase was approved, and Tracy soon took delivery of their new patrol unit.

More Marshals came and went. July 1921 saw Marshal Lasswell resign and John Madrid take his place. John Madrid wasn’t new to law enforcement as he had worked for several years as a Deputy Marshal. Six months after Marshal Madrid’s appointment, he was shot and wounded while attempting to capture a bank robber.

It was December 29, 1921, and Marshal Madrid was engaged in assisting San Joaquin County Deputy Sheriff Jess Wheatly in the capture of a bank robber near the San Joaquin Bridge when he was wounded by a gunshot to his right arm.

Marshal Madrid returned to Tracy where he received treatment for his wound from Dr. Allen R. Powers. During the next few months, while Marshal Madrid was recovering, Deputy Marshal Tiexeria temporarily took over the Office of Marshal.

During the month of September 1924, Marshal John Madrid resigned, and Deputy Marshal August F. Rosin became the 8th Marshal for the City of Tracy.

In the spring of 1925, Marshal Rosin asked the Board of Trustees for a $40 a month wage increase, which was denied. Marshal Rosin immediately asked for a 60-day leave of absence without pay, which was granted. While Marshal Rosin was on leave, Deputy Marshal William H. Lasswell took over as head of the Police Department.

Towards the end of May, Marshal Rosin sent a letter to the Board stating that he would return to work on June 5th, and in the same letter the Marshal asked for a $25 a month increase in pay. During the next Board of Trustees meeting on June 4, 1925, the Board discussed the request for an increase in salary, at which time they voted to “declare the Office of the Marshal vacant.” The Board then voted to appoint William Lasswell as permanent Marshal.

On May 10, 1927, Marshal Lasswell announced that his officers were of the opinion, the Tracy Police Department “should be in keeping with many other cities of Sixth Class, by wearing uniforms and shields instead of the old-style star”. They, therefore, asked for the Board’s opinion on the matter. The Board agreed as long as the officers paid for their own “outfit”. From this point on, the head of the Police Department would be known as Chief, and the Board of Trustees would be known as the City Council.

For the next thirteen months, Chief Lasswell led the department until his unexpected resignation on June 1, 1928. Without providing an explanation for his departure, he left the department for his final time.

The next time William H. Lasswell appeared in the news was nine years later on April 15, 1937. A headline in a San Jose newspaper read “Ex-Police Chief Plunges to Death”. The article goes on to state that on April 14, 1937, William H. Lasswell, 58 years, died after plunging into a gravel hopper, at the Pacific Coast Aggregates gravel pit, located southwest of Tracy. No other details were given.

After the resignation of Chief Lasswell, the City Council appointed Ora Clarence Morehouse as Chief of Police. A couple of years went by, and during a Council meeting in April 1930, a resolution was passed stating, “Due to certain irregularities existing in the Police Department, the City Council would move that the Office of Chief of Police be declared vacant, and O.C. Morehouse is removed from office.” A vote was then taken and William L. Lampkey was appointed Chief for the third time.

During the following Council meeting on May 1, 1930, this entry was recorded in the meeting minutes. “Chief Lampkey appeared before the council and announced that due to the situation of certain matters concerning his appointment at the last meeting of the Council, he believed that in all due fairness to all concerned, he believed that some action should be taken by the council to relieve him of, and the council of, an embarrassing condition now existing, due to some misunderstanding he was not in a position to know just what the attitude was of his appointment, and in order that he may still retain his former position, he asked that the Council accept his resignation. The Council voted and Chief Lampkey’s resignation was accepted.” The Council then voted to rehire O.C. Morehouse as Chief.

Chief Morehouse remained Chief for two more years until he resigned in June of 1932. After receiving Chief Morehouse’s resignation, the Council reviewed applications on file for Chief and appointed long-time Railroad Police Officer Barney Francis Phelan.

In 1936, the California Peace Officers Association convention was held in Santa Monica, between October 15th and 17th. Chief Phelan and his wife Elizabeth (Bessie) attended the event. Upon their return to Tracy on Sunday, October 18th, they were involved in a horrific traffic collision around 4 pm, between Fresno and Madera. Both were transported to the Burnett Sanitarium in Fresno with serious injuries.

With Chief Phelan hospitalized, the City Council requested the Police Commission recommend an Acting Chief until Chief Phelan was able to return to work. The Commission recommended Floyd Glenn Wise of the Berkeley Police Department. The City Council accepted the recommendation and appointed Mr. Wise as Acting Chief.

On October 26, 1936, at 2:20 AM, a call came to the Tracy Police Department reporting Chief Bernard Francis Phelan had succumbed to his injuries at age 57. Bessie Phelan recovered and returned to Tracy. At the next City Council meeting in November, Acting Chief Wise was appointed Chief of Police.

For the next four years, Chief Wise made it a priority to equip the department with state-of-the-art technology not typical for agencies the size of Tracy. An article appearing in the August 1940 issue of the California Peace and Police Officers Journal stated, “Chief Wise has done much to build up the Tracy department as one of the best in the smaller inland cities and is justly proud of the new headquarters provided for him in the new Tracy Hall of Justice.” The article further stated, “Chief Wise is an up-to-date official who has every type of equipment any large department might have, including two-way radios.”

A month later, tragedy struck the department once again. On September 19, 1940, Chief Wise was returning to Tracy from a police officer's meeting in the bay area when he was struck head-on and killed instantly while traveling on the "Oakland to Stockton Highway", West of Livermore. He was 43 years old.

Less than a week after the death of Chief Wise, the City Council reviewed the applications of six potential candidates for Chief. After some discussion, a 25-year veteran and Captain of the Fresno Police Department was selected. Ralph Henry “Jack” Wise, who was no relation to the prior Chief, took command of the department on October 1, 1940, and would receive $200 a month in compensation.

Six months later, on March 30, 1941, sad news came that Chief Ralph Wise had died from a heart attack. He was 55 years old.

The City Council didn’t take long before hiring Tracy’s 16th Chief, Evan Calvin Wyman. Chief Wyman was a 13-year veteran of the Tracy Police Department when appointed Chief on April 1, 1941. Chief Wyman’s career as Chief was one of the longest in Tracy’s history, serving fourteen years. For unknown reasons, Chief Wyman resigned from his position, just 26 months before he would have been eligible to retire.

With Chief Wyman’s resignation came the appointment of Captain Wilburn Hamby as Acting Chief. Acting Chief Hamby led the department for about four months while a new Chief was selected. That search ended in February 1955 when 30-year-old, former FBI Agent and current Santa Clara Police Officer Neil Henry Tremaine was chosen. After nearly four years as Tracy’s head law enforcement officer, Chief Tremaine resigned on April 1, 1959, to become the first Police Chief of Pacifica. Also, during the month of April 1959, a 10-year veteran of the Tracy Police Department, Jerome Lyle Hodges took over as Chief. For the next 14½ years, Chief Hodges ran the department, making him the longest-reigning Chief in Tracy’s history.

Richard H. (Bud) McHale was appointed to the department as a Lieutenant in May 1972. Formerly with Newark Police Department where he held the position of Sergeant, Lieutenant McHale was hired as Chief of Tracy when Chief Hodges retired on December 1, 1974.

Chief McHale resigned as Chief after only six months, to become the City of Atascadero's police chief. Once again, the City found itself looking for another police chief.

It took only two months for a new Chief to be chosen, that person being Tracy native Cloyce Linden Brooksher. Chief Brooksher first joined the Tracy reserve officer program in July 1959 because he wanted to see what police work was like.

When he wasn’t volunteering his time as an officer, he worked full-time as an assistant manager for Montgomery Wards. In 1960, he was hired as a full-time police officer.

He worked his way through the ranks to the Chief’s badge, becoming a Sergeant in 1963, Lieutenant in 1972, and Chief in 1975. Then for the next 7 ½ years, Chief Brooksher led the department until he was forced to retire in April 1983, due to ill health.

The next Chief was also hired from within the ranks of the Tracy Police Department. Larry Edward Kissell worked for several years as a Tracy Police Officer and held the rank of Lieutenant when he was selected to run the department in April 1983.

In May of 1992, after over 9 years as Chief, Larry Kissell suffered a heart attack, eventually retiring in September 1992.

In June of 1993, Tracy hired its 22nd police chief, Jared Zwickey. Chief Zwickey, a former Captain with the Concord Police Department, headed the Tracy Police Department until his resignation in August 1997 to become the Coordinator of Public Safety Programs for Delta College in Stockton.

While the City of Tracy searched for its next police chief, retired Fremont Police Chief Robert “Bob” Wasserman was brought in to assist during the transition. After a six-month search, Timothy Neal was selected to replace Chief Zwickey in December 1997.

Chief Neal came to Tracy from the City of Mountain View where he held the position of Captain. After only 18 months as Tracy’s top cop, Chief Neal learned that Pleasanton’s police chief had unexpectedly retired. Chief Neal’s lifelong dream was to work in his hometown of Pleasanton, and in July of 1999, his dream came true.

After Chief Neal’s departure, Bob Wasserman was invited back to Tracy for a second time to lead the department while a new chief was sought after.

With the new millennium came a new chief. The second in command of the Oakland Police Department, David L. Krauss was selected as Tracy’s 26th police chief. After nearly nine years of wearing the Chief's badge, David Krauss retired in October 2008.

In February of 2009, history was made when the City of Tracy hired Janet M. Thiessen, former police chief of Olathe, Kansas, and the first woman to hold the same position in Tracy. For the next 2 ½ years, Chief Thiessen led the department until her resignation in August 2011.

Chief Thiessen’s parting brought the return of a familiar face to the department. Ten years earlier, then Captain Gary Hampton left Tracy to become the Chief of Oakdale, then most recently, Chief of Turlock. On August 15, 2011, Gary Hampton returned to Tracy to take command of the department. On September 6, 2011, Gary Hampton was officially sworn in as Tracy’s 27th Chief of Police, a position he held until his retirement in March of 2016.

Chief Larry Esquivel was selected for the position of Police Chief after a nationwide search. He had recently retired after 30 years of service with the San Jose Police Department, where he served as the Chief for several years, Chief Esquivel served as Tracy’s 28th police chief from March 2016 until August 2018.

Following Chief Esquivel, Alex Neicu was appointed as Interim Police Chief on August 14, 2018. Interim Chief Alex Neicu previously served as Bureau of Investigations Captain and has been with the City of Tracy Police Department since 1994. During his tenure, Interim Neicu implemented a proactive strategy around criminal activity.

This strategy took into consideration ongoing evaluations of the organization, crime trends, and feedback received from the community and included 30, 60, and 90-day benchmarks. The plan aligned assets, personnel, and capital to community needs, resulting in greater outcomes in the area of crime prevention.

This approach also included the implementation of new programs such as an augmented Traffic Unit with focused enforcement operations around schools and high accident areas, and increased bicycle patrols in the downtown area to address quality of life issues.

The department continued to nurture its strong relationships with those they serve in our community through programs like sponsoring the Boys & Girls Club summer program in economically disadvantaged areas and the expansion of the Spanish-language Citizens’ Academy. By the end of his interim term in January 2020, Tracy experienced reductions of 17% in violent crimes and 21% in property crimes.

With two decades as an officer rising through the ranks at the Oakland Police Department, Chief Sekou Millington underscored his commitment to the Oakland community in a number of assignments, including but not limited to Community Policing where he worked to build and strengthen community-police relationships partnering with community leaders and stakeholders.

He worked in narcotics enforcement where he spent time undercover working to get illicit drugs off the streets, Investigations where he liaised with federal agencies such as the DEA, FBI, ATF, and the US Marshals Service, and SWAT where he served as an Operator, Team Leader then Tactical Commander.

While assigned as the Training Section Commander, Chief Millington also served on the Department’s Force Review Board and Executive Force Review Boards where he worked with other executive staff members to formulate strategies to keep the department at the cutting edge of contemporary policing strategies.

Chief Millington served as an Area Commander in Area 1 which encompasses the West Oakland and Downtown areas of Oakland. His final assignment with the Oakland Police Department was as the Internal Affairs Division Commander.

Understanding the importance of education, Chief Millington attended Union Institute and University where he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice and Master’s Degree in Organizational Leadership. Chief Millington attended the FBI National Academy Session #256 and earned his Certificate of Achievement in Criminal Justice Education from the University of Virginia; and the Senior Management Institute for Police Session #70 (SMIP). His F.I.R.S.T Commitment to every citizen, business, and visitor to the City of Tracy is based on the principles of Fairness, Integrity, Respect, Service, and Teamwork.

Chief Millington is a member of a number of local and national law enforcement organizations including the San Francisco Bay Area Chapter of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) where he proudly serves as a two-term Chapter President. He’s also a member of the California Police Chiefs Association, the FBI National Academy Association, and the Police Executive Research Forum, where he constantly explores new methods to provide exceptional service to the communities he serves.

Chief Sekou Millington has demonstrated his ownership of the mission to provide the Tracy Community with the police service they deserve, and more. His career highlights the fact that he is dedicated to serving and has earned his place as a leader both in the department and in the community.