Deputy Police Chief retires after 24 years in Petaluma

After two dozen years with the Petaluma Police Department and three years serving as the city’s first Deputy Chief in decades, police officer Tara Salizzoni is hanging up her badge in retirement.

Since joining the department in 1996, she’s risen up in the ranks from patrol officer to second-in-command under Chief Ken Savano. But for a few years in her youth, the Lake County native was unsure whether she should even pursue a career in law enforcement at all.

As the daughter of Lake County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Richard Helbush, who was shot and killed in the line of duty May 1981, Salizzoni questioned whether she should follow in his footsteps.

“I was hesitant at first and wondered if I was joining just because my dad died in the line of duty,” she said. “But once I went to the police academy I discovered it was clearly what I wanted to do with my life.”

Following her training, Salizzoni was hired to her first full-time police officer position in Fortuna in 1993. The small Humboldt County town is just outside of Eureka, where she grew up with her mom and sister after her parents divorced.

In 1996, Salizzoni made the move to Petaluma. She’s worked in a variety of assignments with the department, from Patrol Officer to Background Investigator, Detective and Lieutenant. She later graduated from University of San Francisco in 2002 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Administration.

In 2017, she was promoted to Deputy Police Chief, a position that was specifically created by Chief Savano and the first of its kind in the city since the 1950s.

“We have worked together for 25 years and she’s always been a great colleague and someone that I trust to make the right decisions for the right reasons,” Savano said. “We will miss her, but we’re also excited for her.”

Salizzoni said she’s most looking forward to spending time with her three sons, two of which – twins – are still living at home and attending high school. As is the case with many parents in demanding careers, Salizzoni has had to miss some aspects of her kids’ lives, and sees her retirement as a chance to squeeze in more quality time.

“I’m looking forward to spending more time with family,” Salizzoni said of her plans. “There’s so many things I didn’t get to do when I was on patrol, I was working weekends and weeknights. Even dinner at the dining room table is something I look forward to doing. I sacrificed a lot.”

Salizzoni also recognized the uniqueness of this moment in time as a police officer, amid the coronavirus pandemic and as conversations over police reform percolate throughout the nation and within Petaluma.

“Do I think there are things that can be done better? Of course I do, things can always be improved,” Salizzoni said, referring to dialogue over police reform. “There’s always ways to do things smarter and better. But there’s also the need to educate people about what we’re doing and why.”

Although she announced her intention to retire earlier this year, the coronavirus pandemic delayed her exit from the force by a few months to give her additional time to prepare the department and establish guidelines to minimize risk. Under her leadership, the department closed the dispatch center to visitors, required officers wear masks inside at all times, locked down the records department and encouraged officers to only visit the station when necessary.

Her last day in the office was July 2, with her official final retirement day July 24. It’s a date she chose for its deeply personal symbolism.

“July 24 is my dad’s birthday, so I get to go out on that day,” Salizzoni said. “I had a great career following in my dad’s footsteps, and I’m lucky I was able to have a longer career than he had.”

Savano said Lt. Brian Miller will step into the Deputy Chief role, and further promotions and internal staffing changes are expected next week.

(Contact Kathryn Palmer at kathryn.palmer@arguscourier.com, on Twitter @KathrynPlmr.)