Chief Wasden came to Modesto from Salt Lake City Police Department where he had attained the rank of Captain. He was appointed August 7, 2000 and during his tenure, the Department suffered many crisis and high profile incidents. We were fortunate to have a level headed, articulate and compassionate leader at the helm.
The Sepulveda SWAT shooting, Chandra Levi case, Laci Peterson murder investigation, Sergeant Steve May incident are a few of the crisis endured by the Department.
While dealing with the everyday operations and special problems, the building of a new police facility was completed and opened in July 2000 and greatly alleviated the space needs for the department.
The entire country was dealing with a recession which also affected the Department with downsizing and the loss of many experienced personnel whose positions were not backfilled. Our people stepped up and took on workloads sometimes as much as four times their normal duties. These handicaps would affect the Department for years to come.
Chief Wasden retired June 18, 2009 to accept the position of Turlock City Manager.
Captain Mike Harden acted as interim Chief until he was appointed to the position permanently.
Chief Harden came to MPD early as an Explorer and ‘grew up’ with the Department. He was hired as a sworn Police Officer July 10, 1984. He worked his way through the ranks and was appointed Chief in 2010.
Chief Harden continued to steer the Department through difficult financial times until he retired August 3, 2012 after serving with the Department for 28 years.
Captain Gene Balentine led the department through its transition process to the next permanent Chief.
Chief Carroll is a 20-year veteran in law enforcement. He began his career at the Orange County Sheriff’s Department in Southern California where he worked in the jail as a Sheriff’s Special Officer.
He was hired by the Long Beach Police Department in March 1994 and promoted to the rank of Police Commander December 2010. Chief Carroll was selected as the Modesto Police Chief on January 8, 2013.
The department made a major uniform change by converting from the gold shield badge to a silver seven-point star and the blue and gold shoulder patch to a more subdued blue and silver patch. The old patch style had been in existence since 1964 and the old badge style had been in existence since 1921.
In the past several years, the Department has been reduced by 25% in staffing levels. Chief Carroll is focused on addressing crime problems and empowering department personnel to do the right thing to solve community problems and to take pride in the service we provide with our limited resources.
Chief Carroll retired December 25, 2020
Chief Gillespie is a 20 year police veteran beginning his career on July 2, 2001 when he came to the Modesto Police Department as an officer. He rose through the ranks to become the Assistant Chief of Police on October 29, 2019 and became the Interim Chief upon Chief Carroll's retirement.
Chief Gillespie was a leading factor in protecting the department during the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020. He has continued to insure police personnel and citizens are as safe as possible.
The City conducted a comprehensive, nationwide search for a new Police Chief in March 2021. Feedback was sought from the community as well as Police Department staff to help guide the process. In the end,
Assistant Chief Gillespie’s qualities and skills best align with what the City, department and community needs. Simply put, he is the right person for the job to lead us forward. Chief Gillespie accepted the position from the City Council on August 10, 2021 and will officially take over the helm Chief of Police on August 17, 2021.
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