SARASOTA, Fla. — The Sarasota Police Department is going through a leadership transition after Police Chief James Rieser suddenly retired this week. Rieser cited unexpected health issues as the reason for his departure after seven months of taking office. His exit has ushered in the department's first Hispanic-American to take the seat a interim chief while city leaders look to fill the spot permanently.
Deputy Chief Rex Troche took over as Interim Police Chief on Wednesday August 25 after working with the former chief for several years. He first joined the department in 2002.
"Chief Rieser of course over the course of those years was a great mentor to me and a dear friend and we're just sad to see him leave," said Deputy Chief Rex Troche, Interim Police Chief, Sarasota Police.
Troche, a Chicago native, husband, and father of three, worked his way up the ranks of the police department. He got his start in Sarasota with the Patrol Division, worked in Professional Standards and later on in Criminal Investigations.
Over the years, Troche became one of the few Hispanic-Americans in a supervisory position at the department and a voice of diversity among its leadership rank. He said being entrusted with the seat of police chief, even in the interim, isn't to be taken lightly.
"It's an honor, it's a very coveted position. It's important to be in a room, for me, with other people who don't look like me, that don't sound like me and that have different ideas than me," Troche said.
"I understand that I don't have 360, meaning I don't know everything, but it's important to hear from other people to understand where they are coming from and to put a plan together as a group and then move forward with that," he said.
Troche takes over at a time when many law enforcement agencies are facing challenges including with perception over high-handed interactions with minority communities. He said community policing and building strong connections are a top priority.
"It starts at leadership, if leadership is not doing it then why would other people within the agency do it so we have to lead the way as it relates to that," he said.
"We are doing walk and talks and walking through different parts of the city as leaders, as captains, as deputy chiefs, and chiefs, and we are talking to the people as we walk around and that's a great way to get information and that's a great way to get feedback," Troche said.
Unlike many other agencies who are experiencing recruitment challenges, Troche said the story has been different with the department and he hopes to keep it that way.
"Recruiting is tough but not here, recruitment is not tough here because everybody from Seattle, Portland, California, Chicago, New York, they are applying here so we are fortunate in that regard," Troche said.
"Community policing starts with hiring first, we are very diverse as it relates to hiring. We have two retired Lieutenant Colonels that go into the military, that's very vetted and diverse and we are able to take people of color, people of various ethnicity, people with different backgrounds and bring them to the police department and essentially plug and play because the military is also teaching their personal about community policing," he said.
City leaders are in the process of hiring a new permanent police chief and Troche said he's ready for that opportunity if called upon.
"I definitely want to be the next chief, I am not about the bars and I'm not about the stars, I never have been. It's about the people here at the agency. They're all family and that's what we're about, we're about family," he said.
Troche also said he plans to keep pushing the use of technology to aid with policing and accountability.