Rohnert Park public safety chief announces retirement

Brian Masterson’s announcement comes as his agency is ensnared in controversy over its efforts to bring in millions of dollars in seized assets through traffic stops targeting drugs and money far outside the city.|

Rohnert Park Public Safety Department Director Brian Masterson announced this week he will retire from an agency ensnared in controversy over its aggressive efforts to bring in millions of dollars in seized assets through traffic stops targeting black-market drugs and money far outside the city.

Masterson, 59, who came to Rohnert Park from the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office 10 years ago, notified the City Council and staff Tuesday in emails stating he will retire Aug. 22.

“This is a good time in our life to transition into retirement and spend more time traveling and enjoying time spent with our children and grandchildren,” Masterson wrote, saying he made the decision after discussing it with his wife.

Masterson didn’t respond to repeated messages Thursday requesting an interview. City officials did not explain the timing or reason for his resignation.

It comes two weeks after The Press Democrat published a series of stories examining the city’s outsized role in the seizure of drugs and money in Sonoma County, sending its officers far outside the city to patrol Highway 101 near the Sonoma-Mendocino county line.

One year ago, rank-and-file members of his department called for his dismissal in an overwhelming no-confidence vote, a rebuke of his leadership through persistent problems keeping the department fully staffed.

Masterson’s statement to city staff and council members acknowledged Rohnert Park has “many challenges ahead” but did not directly address concerns with his leadership or ongoing investigations into at least two public safety officers related to highway drug seizure operations.

“While I will say the last ?10 years have not been easy, they have been challenging as well as rewarding and we have accomplished many things together to improve the quality of life for our residents here in Rohnert Park,” Masterson said in the email announcement.

Masterson was hired in 2008 to lead Rohnert Park’s unified police and firefighting public safety department after he served ?27 years with the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office, retiring from that agency as a captain and commander of the Port of Oakland and the Oakland Airport. In 2017, Rohnert Park paid Masterson $196,537 plus benefits worth $57,867.

City leaders Thursday praised Masterson’s leadership and declined to acknowledge or comment on the questions surrounding his oversight of the agency, which has struggled for years to fully staff its force and has in recent months faced public scrutiny over the city’s aggressive civil asset forfeiture policies.

The city has hired an outside firm to investigate two of its public safety officers, and what roles, if any, they played in a drug seizure along Highway 101 in Mendocino County.

In April, the city launched an investigation into its top highway interdiction officer, Brendon “Jacy” Tatum, and he has since resigned from the department. Tatum and another officer, Joseph Huffaker, remain under investigation in connection with a drug seizure by unidentified officers on Highway 101 in Mendocino County.

The City Council is scheduled to meet behind closed doors Tuesday to discuss the investigation involving the officers.

Vice Mayor Joseph Callinan called Masterson “an excellent chief of police” and said he will be “sorely missed.” Callinan declined to address questions about the city’s asset forfeiture program nor would he address concerns about Masterson’s oversight of the department.

“Everybody has concerns when there are rumors,” Callinan said. “We’re under investigation and until I know the investigation is complete, I have no comment.”

Rohnert Park officers seized $2.4 million in cash and valuable assets from people in the past three years through civil forfeiture laws, more than any other law enforcement agency in Sonoma County.

Much of the cash was acquired during missions to intercept the flow of illegal drugs and cash by conducting traffic stops along the Highway 101 corridor. City Mmanager Darrin Jenkins declined to speak with The Press Democrat on Thursday, saying he was too busy with meetings. In an email, Jenkins praised Masterson, noting the director “cultivated positive relationships in our community.”

He credited Masterson for his leadership during a time of decreasing crime rates as the city continued to grow and adjust to the impacts from the Graton Casino, which opened in 2013.

He also said Masterson successfully implemented a new body- worn camera program for officers and encouraged the department to embrace social media and new ways of interacting with the community.

Jenkins said he will be hiring an interim public safety director while the city recruits the next director.

Outside City Hall, Mayor Pam Stafford said she had just seen Masterson’s email and didn’t have any comment on his leadership or departure “until I get more information.”

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