City Manager Appoints Carlos Acosta as Chief of Police

City Manager Appoints Carlos Acosta as Chief of Police

Published on December 02, 2024

Carlos Acosta has been appointed as Chief of Police by Salinas City Manager René Mendez. Throughout his career, Chief Acosta has implemented many programs and initiatives that highlight his innovative approach to community policing and prioritization of building relational equity and empowering the community to be engaged.

"I selected Chief Acosta because of his demonstrated leadership and values that are centered around service to his community," said City Manager Mendez.

During the Press Conference held on December 2, 2024, Chief Acosta shared that his top priorities include:

• Prioritizing partnerships with the community and building relational equity
• Focus on growing the workforce (recruitment and retention)
• Investment in training and development

"I've learned that the heart of effective policing is trust, partnership, and a shared vision for safety and wellbeing," said Chief Acosta. "My mission is to create partnerships with our community founded on trust and mutual respect, while reducing violent crime and improving the quality of life for everyone."

Chief Acosta is an accomplished law enforcement leader with over 26 years of service to the San Jose Police Department (SJPD) who has cultivated a strong connection with the community. He helped launch many innovative programs like the Mobile Crisis Assessment Team (MCAT) and Psychiatric Emergency Response Team (PERT) designed to address mental health and drug-related crises with a focus on minimizing non-criminal interactions between law enforcement and community members, and connecting individuals with comprehensive support services. During his tenure with SJPD, he also implemented "Spanish for Law Enforcement," a POST-certified course designed to enhance communication between law enforcement officers and the Spanish-speaking community.

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