Following a robust public process to solicit feedback from the community on the desired qualities and characteristics of our next police chief, a competitive nationwide recruitment, and an interview process that involved three separate panels—a panel of current police chiefs, a panel of PPD and city staff, and a community panel with five Petaluma residents, the City is proud to announce the selection of Brian Miller as the City of Petaluma’s next police chief.
A lifelong Sonoma County resident, Chief Miller earned his undergraduate degree in History at California Polytechnic State University and has a master’s degree in Homeland Security Studies from American Military University and in 2005, began his law enforcement career at the Petaluma Police Department (PPD)–which has 71 sworn officers and 35 professional staff, and an annual budget of approximately $26 million.
Chief Miller has served as patrol officer, gang enforcement officer, field training officer, crisis negotiator, detective, sergeant, lieutenant, deputy chief of police, and is bilingual in Spanish. He served as interim chief, when former Police Chief Ken Savano retired in December 2023 after nearly 30 years at the PPD, with the last six years as police chief. He was instrumental in the establishment of the City’s groundbreaking SAFE Team—a 24/7 mobile crisis intervention team successfully advocated for by youth members of our community—Youth for CAHOOTS—in 2021, as well as ‘Lights On!’ a program that offers repair vouchers instead of citations for minor vehicular issues.
“Chief Miller is the right person at the right time to lead our Department,” said Petaluma City Manager Peggy Flynn. “He has the confidence of our leadership, of our staff, and of our community, and has demonstrated his commitment to proactive community policing, transparency, and accountability at every level of the organization. We are proud to have him assume this crucial role in our City.”
Over the next year, Chief Miller will be focused on the Department’s District policing model to strengthen relationships between the community and the officers assigned to 15 geographic district neighborhoods throughout Petaluma, on the establishment of the Public Safety Advisory Group which is part of the City’s Police Oversight Model and the continued work with the City’s Independent Police Auditor, and on officer and staff wellness in the Department.
“Throughout my career I have focused on building relationships and community-based solutions so we can be safer, stronger, and together as One Petaluma,” said Chief Miller. “As your police chief, our community policing approach will be focused on actively engaging with community members, neighborhoods, schools, and our business community to ensure that we are not only a presence in the community, but a proactive, trusted partner seeking to understand and share a deeper purpose behind every action we take.”
Chief Miller will be sworn in at the City Council meeting on April 15, 2024, at 6:30 p.m., held in person at Petaluma City Hall, 11 English Street, Petaluma, CA. Meetings can also be viewed online. Visit cityofpetaluma.org/meetings for a link and more information. Spanish translation will be available.
For media inquiries, please contact Jamieson Bunn, communications program manager, at jbunn@cityofpetaluma.org.