Orinda's new Police Chief Jeff Jennings. Photo provided

Lieutenant Jeff Jennings from the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office has been hired as the City of Orinda's new Police Chief upon the retirement of current Chief Bill French. Jennings' first day is tentatively Monday, March 22nd.

Jennings has been with the Sheriff's Office for 18 years and currently serves as the Director of the Communications Center running the operations of the largest dispatch service in the county. He has held several posts with the Sheriff's Office, which include working in the Martinez Detention Facility, serving as the Officer of the Day in the Office of Emergency Services for four years, and working as a Patrol Sergeant for the City of Danville and for the County.

Jennings says his ideas for community policing align closely with those of Chief French and that the issue of underage alcohol use will continue to be a high priority for the Orinda police. "Along with continued enforcement, my focus is to build partnerships with parents, teachers, and educators," says Jennings.

Raised in Fairfield, Jennings graduated from San Francisco State University with a degree in psychology. He has coached youth sports for many years and has dealt with hundreds of kids from third grade through high-school age along the way. He is married and has three daughters ranging in age from grammar school to college.

The hiring process involved a Community Panel, Professional/Technical Panel, a written exercise, and one-on-one interviews with the City Manager.