rialtonow

People I give you the end of one and the beginning of another.

Police Chief Mark Kling will no longer be the chief of police in the city of Rialto.

Chief Kling was a good Chief but in Rialto it’s not hard to do when you see some of the leadership we have resided under over the last 15 years.

I at one time was the Chiefs biggest advocate, when he removed community policing and chased good people into early retirement I was left to pause is this man really who he claims to be?

Chief Kling did his best, but it wasnt enough we needed more.

Will Capitan Farrar be able to fill these shoes? Can he bring TRUE community policing back to Rialto? What are his plans for the future? Are the other 2 Lt’s spots ever going to be filled? Can we still count on Rialto PD being there when we need them?

Only Time will tell, maybe we should ask I’m running for office Baca Jr he is all over this SB Sun Article, do your job baca get out of the lime light.

SB Sun Article Below:

After 5 1/2 years, Police Chief Mark Kling is calling it quits.The veteran police official, with a doctorate in public administration, is going to teach at the undergraduate and graduate level at Riverside’s California Baptist University, retiring from police work after more than 30 years.Kling, 54, said he will be revamping the university’s criminal justice program, will teach within the program and also will teach public administration and political science.”I came here to do a job and I have done that job and it is time to move on,” said Kling, who for six months this year wore the hat of both police chief and city administrator.

His last day as police chief will be Dec. 29.

Kling said he will be replaced by Tony Farrar, who has been employed by the Rialto Police Department for 22 years. During the last five years, he served as captain with the responsibility for the department’s field operations.

Farrar holds a master’s degree in the administration of justice and an MBA.

Kling said that he took no additional salary while serving as interim city administrator, an action that saved the city considerable money.

“It was my way of giving back to the community for their support,” Kling said in an interview Tuesday.

When Kling arrived in Rialto, he walked into a demoralized Police Department that had been slated for elimination a few months before.

A large community outcry kept policing in Rialto under local control instead of under contract with the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.

During his tenure, Kling transformed the department, giving it tools to increase productivity and restoring its pride, said City Council member Joe Baca Jr.

“He brought back the gang unit, brought injunctions against gangs and took many other actions that had never been done in this city,” Baca said.

Kling’s tenure, however, was blemished by an embarrassing sex scandal in 2010 when a female employee at a Rialto strip club alleged she and an on-duty officer had sex three times at the Rialto Police Benefit Association’s union hall.

Prior to those allegations becoming public, Kling began installing vehicle locators on all police cars, to allow supervisors to pinpoint where officers are during their shift.

That process was completed in mid-2010.

Earlier this year, a Rialto police officer and an Orange County defense attorney were arrested by FBI agents on bribery charges.

Baca said Kling took swift action against those whose conduct fell short of the department’s standards.

“Chief Kling took personal responsibility for mishaps within the department. He didn’t try to hide anything….One of the things you can’t do as a leader is control what the troops do,” Baca said in an interview Wednesday.

Kling said that his leadership style includes “moving a lot of people out of organizations that probably should have never been there.”

As city administrator, Kling fired a contract employee at the Rialto Municipal Airport after he found documents suggesting financial irregularities there.

“Kling really trained his support staff to become leaders,” Baca said.

By grooming Farrar, he saved Rialto a significant amount of money because the city didn’t have to hire a headhunter to find its next police chief, Baca said.

Kling said he pushed department members to pursue educational opportunities “at every level.”

Studies show there is a correlation between the education level of a police department and how it treats its community, Kling said.

“I have no doubt in my mind that Tony Farrar is the best candidate for police chief, not just here, but anywhere,” Kling said.