Council names Amirfar as Turlock police chief

With hugs from his family, warm words from a pastor and a unanimous vote by the Turlock City Council, 26-year department veteran Nino Amirfar took his post as chief of the Turlock Police Department.

A swearing-in ceremony will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday at the Assyrian American Civic Club, 2618 N. Golden State Blvd., Turlock, for Amirfar, who has been acting police chief since Robert Jackson stepped aside in August.

Amirfar bested a field of 38 candidates in an extensive selection process. A mix of union leaders, community members, city department heads and council members winnowed the list to 15, screened by City Manager Gary Hampton, a former Turlock police chief, down to eight. Those eight were interviewed by a panel of business, school, faith and civic leaders, as well as police from other cities, with the top three getting further scrutiny by Hampton and a final choice by the council.

Tuesday’s vote followed an endorsement by the Rev. George Shahbaz of the United Assyrian Evangelical Church. “I see him as a man of steel. He stands there, always sure of what he’s doing, and not only the Assyrian community but the Turlock community can be proud of such a man,” Shahbaz said of Amirfar.

Mayor Gary Soiseth noted he was a Turlock High student when he met Amirfar, then serving as a school resource officer.

“I have loved Turlock since the first day I was brought up here by my mother and father for our Assyrian conventions,” Amirfar said after his appointment. “It’s an honor to stand here before you and say thank you. I will not let you down.”

The new chief stressed that he supports community and police working together. “This community’s continued vibrancy and the quality of life we all enjoy is our priority. You are the Police Department and the Police Department is you. That’s what we’re here for. We’re just human beings, doing the work our community asks us to do,” Amirfar said.

He credited community policing for sharp declines in burglaries and low-level offenses across the city in 2016, in a separate presentation of the year’s crime statistics. A 12 percent rise in reports taken and faster response to complaints came from a higher priority on customer service, he said.

Vehicle thefts overall went up 5 percent but dropped dramatically – 25 percent – for holiday shoppers in the city’s retail hub, Monte Vista Crossings, as the department responded to merchant complaints, Amirfar said.

“Outstanding. As we look toward bringing businesses here and economic development, business people are going to hear about this and understand,” Councilwoman Amy Bublak said. “That’s a real positive.”

Top-tier crimes, though few, rose in 2016. The city had seven homicides, up from two in 2015, and 22 rapes were reported last year, up from 17 in 2015.

Reached later, Amirfar said the homicides showed no trends. In March a woman was stabbed during a fight over a phone. One man was shot by another with no known motive in April. A road-rage incident escalated in May. A June drug bust by Modesto officers went sideways in Turlock. And on the list went, only one believed gang-related, a drive-by shooting in October.

“Unfortunately, homicides is one of those crimes that’s emotionally based and opportunity based. There’s no way to predict that,” Amirfar said. The 5 percent rise in rapes, he said, included more cases where the victim and suspect knew each other, and the department has provided training on staying safe in gatherings with alcohol.

“You see those areas of reduction (in lower-level crimes). There, we can take a proactive approach, use predictive policing. There is just no way that I know of to predict homicides,” he said.

Turlock Fire Chief Robert Talloni reported department statistics for the previous month. Since Dec. 13, fire crews were called out 846 times, a 20 percent year-over-year increase. The calls included 27 injury accidents and seven structure fires, one being a heater/air conditioner fire that temporarily closed the McDonald’s area of Wal-Mart. The majority of calls, 57 percent, were medical emergencies.

This story was originally published January 25, 2017 at 3:06 PM with the headline "Council names Amirfar as Turlock police chief."