Tehachapi announces police chief retirement

According to the release, the chief originally announced his retirement in November 2021, but rescinded it in early 2022 to assist the city in recruiting new officers and command staff for the department.

Kroeger began his career with TPD in July 2014 following 26 years with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

“Chief Kroeger was instrumental during his career in developing the Tehachapi Police Department," City Manager Greg Garrett said in the release. "We are encouraged about the future of this organization and look forward to meeting the needs of our community.

Garrett said Acting Lt. Jason Dunham will lead the department until a successor is named and that the city has hired the recruiting firm of Bob Murray and Associates to assist in finding a replacement.

Dunham has been with Tehachapi Police since its rebirth in 2007. According to a roster on the department's website, he is one of four sergeants. There are no lieutenants. Additional staff include one senior officer, 12 officers and one code enforcement officer, in addition to other staff.

Garrett said in an interview Thursday that the department has budgeted positions for an assistant chief and lieutenant that have not been filled.

"We have been trying to fill those positions over the last year or more," he said, noting that law enforcement organizations across the country are struggling to keep positions filled. Although recruitment efforts for those positions will continue, Garrett said the chief position has priority.

“The hard work put in by the officers and civilian staff making up the Tehachapi Police Department have led to our city being one of the safest communities in Kern County during Chief Kroeger’s tenure," Garrett added. "We expect the dedication and hard work by TPD to continue.”

In early January 2022, the city confirmed that Kroeger had decided to retire on April 1 of last year. He was still on the job, but the city had already engaged Bob Murray and Associates to find a new chief.

Then, on Feb. 16 last year, the chief said he would not retire.

“After careful consideration and discussions with city leaders, community members, law enforcement leaders and most importantly my family, I have made the decision to rescind my planned retirement,” Kroeger said in the release. “I feel an obligation to continue to serve the city of Tehachapi and lead the Tehachapi Police Department into the future.”

At the time, the city said several qualified candidates applied for the position, but “the challenges surrounding the law enforcement profession were apparent during the search process.”

Kroeger was successful in filling positions, with two new sergeants introduced to the Tehachapi City Council in July 2022 and three new officers introduced last October. One of those officers, however, is no longer on the department's roster.

The city hired Kroeger in June 2014 to replace Jeff Kermode, who had been with the city since November 2006 and was in charge of a revival of the police department in 2007. The city had previously operated its own police department but had disbanded it and contracted with the Kern County Sheriff’s Office for a number of years.

Kroeger also supervised the 2016 move of dispatch services from Bear Valley Police Department to TPD. That same year, the Tehachapi Police Foundation was created. The organization was founded to raise public awareness and community support for the TPD and has raised thousands of dollars to purchase equipment and supplies to assist the department.

Kroeger also worked for more than a year to develop three ordinances dealing with code enforcement that were approved by the Tehachapi City Council in January 2022.

"We convinced him to stay because we were having challenges and he did the right thing and gave us almost a year," Garrett said. "We're going to be just fine. We have a great team at the police department."