Vallejo police Chief Shawny Williams has abruptly resigned, a spokesperson for the city said on Friday.
Williams joined the force as chief in the fall of 2019 and was instrumental in furthering accountability in the department in the wake of bad press surrounding the so-called "Gone Girl" kidnapping case, high officer-involved shootings and the badge-bending scandal where officers bent the tips of their badges to mark the shooting of suspects.
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WATCH HEREUse of force and officer involved shootings declined during his leadership, though the killing of Sean Monterrosa happened under his watch. Monterrosa was shot and killed by Officer Jarrett Tonn in June of 2020 during the George Floyd protests. Williams has fired Tonn last month.
Williams was frequently attacked by the Vallejo Police Officers Association, the officer's union headed by another person Williams fired, Michael Nichelini. The union gave a vote of "no confidence" against the chief and blamed him for low morale, attrition and the rise of crime due to an understaffed force.
"My time with the City of Vallejo has been rewarding both professionally and personally," said Williams in a statement about his departure. "I arrived at the City during a challenging and controversial period in the City's history. It was my goal as Police Chief to build collaborative partnerships between the Department and the community. While the Department still has strides to make toward its ultimate goals, together we have accomplished many tasks that I feel have put VPD on the right path to success and I wish the City and Department all the best."
City Manager Mike Malone has appointed Deputy Chief Jason Ta to serve as Interim Chief, according to the city.
Reactions of the resignation were mixed.
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“I think something needed to change. Whether this was a right thing or not, will be remained to be seen. But something needed to be changed. We were stuck in a rut with the former chief, said Michael Nichelini, president of the Vallejo Police Department.
Nichelini added that morale among officers hit an all-time low. In fact, the union issued a vote of no confidence earlier this year.
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SIGN UP “I have been here since before bankruptcy. Bankruptcy morale was bad. But This was worse than bankruptcy,” he said.
But civil rights attorney Melissa Nold told NBC Bay Area that Williams was making needed changes, including clearing out questionable officers, among them, the one who shot and killed Sean Monterrosa. She added that she is troubled by his departure.
“He was the first chief to ever terminate an officer for violating policy relating to an officer-involved shooting. So that’s progress and most importantly for over two years, no one has died as a result of the VPD,” Nold said.
Policing expert Richard Correia said he’s not entirely surprised by Williams’ resignation. He said the chief simply didn’t have the support he needed to be successful.
“The chief has to be effectiveness in both to be effective as a chief. If your community doesn’t support, you or your department doesn’t support you, you’re not going to be effective,” he said.
