Retiring police chief leaves behind lasting impact on Soledad community

Soledad Police Chief Eric Sills retired Tuesday after nearly a decade running the Soledad Police Department.

Sills spent 37 years in law enforcement, but most of his career in San Jose. However, almost 10 years ago Sills moved to Monterey County to lead a much smaller police force.

“It’s such a difference to be able to work in a community where you know so many people, and you get to see them routinely,” Chief Eric Sills said.

And the mayor says community is exactly what he instilled.

“He has brought forth a sense of community engagement and community policing where it wasn’t there before,” vice mayor Alejandro Chavez said.

During Sills tenure, he focused on improving the police departments relationship with the public, crime went down in the city and the chief even started a law enforcement foundation.

“Things like that are so rewarding, because I really believe that’s where we make a difference because when you develop that at a young age that’s where we really make a difference,” Sills said.

Sills is also the only chief on the Central Coast that speaks Spanish, and as used that to gain trust in his mostly Latino town.

“I’m sure i probably don’t look like I speak Spanish, but people just come up to me and start speaking in Spanish and to me that’s almost comforting,” Sills said.

The chief has even taught his officers how to speak tactical Spanish on the job.

“Spanish that’s used in the street. It doesn’t do any good to teach them textbook Spanish and then you get out on the street and the guys don’t even know,” Sills said.

Sills says he will still keep one foot in the door as an active member of the law enforcement foundation.

KION 2019