BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Bakersfield community members filled the yard at the Bakersfield Police Activities League to celebrate the swearing in of Brant Stratton as the next chief of police for the City of Bakersfield.
“It’s an honor, I’m humbled. I’m excited about the opportunity for the job as a whole. But today is really special for me,” said new Bakersfield Police Chief Brent Stratton.
Over 300 people gathered Friday morning to cheer on the Bakersfield native. The ceremony was filled with high praise for Stratton and his commitment to the city he grew up in.
Chief Greg Terry shared his excitement for Stratton to take the reigns as chief.
“It has been an honor to serve with you. I’m proud of you and I’m excited for what the future will hold for you, our department and our community.”
Stratton’s wife and father joined him on stage to pin the chief’s badge on his uniform.
Both of Stratton’s parents worked for the police department for decades helping to spark the next chief’s passion for law enforcement. It’s that passion that he hopes to bring to the office of chief.
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“How can we work on improving that to where people feel safe? That comes through relationships. It comes through communication. There is trust building that needs to occur. There’s things that we can do to continue to earn the trust and build the trust of the people in our community,” Chief Stratton sad.
Stratton has one pledge to the community as he takes this top law enforcement role.
“I’ll do the very best that I can every day to make your life better. I want you to know that I truly care about trying to make our city safe. Again I don’t have all the solutions to all the problems here. But I know that collectively we can come up with some of those solutions.”
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