New Greenfield police chief outlines goals for community

The city of Greenfield is welcoming its new police chief. Chief Denise Oglesby comes to the central coast from Los Angeles, where she worked for the sheriff’s department for nearly 35 years. On Wednesday, the Greenfield Civic Center was standing room only for her swearing-in ceremony.

“I am feeling good. I am pumped. I was very happy with the turnout here. It’s a strong community that obviously supports their law enforcement,” said Oglesby.

The community of roughly 17,000 deals with several different types of crime. Just last month, a 17-year-old was shot and killed as he tried to get away from his attacker in a gang related shooting. For this, Oglesby has a pretty straight forward message.

“My approach to active gang members is zero tolerance,” said Oglesby.

The Southern California native also says she going to curb the problem by looking for crime trends. As for prevention, she hopes to implement more neighborhood watch groups and have an increased focus on youth programs.

“When there is nothing to do and no activities, kids get involved in other illegal activity.” But gangs are not the only thing she’s going to be focusing on. Oglesby says she has an open ear to hear all issues. In fact, she’ll be out in the city as soon as Thursday learning more about the community so she can better serve it.

Oglesby takes over for interim police chief Tony Sollecito. He filled in for chief Gregory Allen who left for a job with the Morro Bay Police Department in April.