Sacramento has officially sworn in Deputy Chief Zachary Bales as its interim police chief, succeeding retiring Chief Kathy Lester, who served in the role since 2021. Bales was sworn in this afternoon during a private ceremony at City Hall, attended by his wife and four sons. He has been with the Sacramento Police Department since 2002 and previously oversaw the Office of Investigations. “I’ve had the benefit of working in every unit in the police department. I spent that time deeply trying to understand the job,” Bales said. “I never took a job to get the next job. I just wanted to do the best job in what I was doing…I always try to leave that job in a better way than when I found it.” As interim chief, Bales will lead the department through the transition and focus on ensuring stability while continuing the progress made under Lester’s leadership. “I want to continue to build on momentum that Chief Lester has already established in for the last four and a half years in her tenure,” Bales said. “We are in a better place. We are better connected to the community. We are a stronger department than we were. Staffing has been a challenge. I’m really looking to inspire people to become police officers in the city of Sacramento.”Before joining law enforcement, Bales served in the Army as a captain.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
Sacramento has officially sworn in Deputy Chief Zachary Bales as its interim police chief, succeeding retiring Chief Kathy Lester, who served in the role since 2021.
Bales was sworn in this afternoon during a private ceremony at City Hall, attended by his wife and four sons. He has been with the Sacramento Police Department since 2002 and previously oversaw the Office of Investigations.
“I’ve had the benefit of working in every unit in the police department. I spent that time deeply trying to understand the job,” Bales said. “I never took a job to get the next job. I just wanted to do the best job in what I was doing…I always try to leave that job in a better way than when I found it.”
As interim chief, Bales will lead the department through the transition and focus on ensuring stability while continuing the progress made under Lester’s leadership.
“I want to continue to build on momentum that Chief Lester has already established in for the last four and a half years in her tenure,” Bales said. “We are in a better place. We are better connected to the community. We are a stronger department than we were. Staffing has been a challenge. I’m really looking to inspire people to become police officers in the city of Sacramento.”
Before joining law enforcement, Bales served in the Army as a captain.
See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel