As the year draws to a close, the sun is setting on the law enforcement career of Rick Collins who is retiring as Ceres Police Chief at age 50.

Collins’ last official day will be on Jan. 5. The city will be filling his vacancy with Captain Chris Perry as acting thief.

“I feel a mixture of excitement and sadness,” said Collins. “I’m excited that I made it to retirement but I’m also sad because I’m going to miss the people I’ve served with for so long.”

Collins, a 32-year veteran of the Ceres Police Department, became chief after the retirement of Chief Brent Smith in March 2019. He was the first black police chief in Ceres’ history and the first Ceres Police captain in recent history, serving from March 2015 to March 2019.

Collins said he’s proud of “navigating the department through the uncertainty of COVID” and sitting down one-on-one with every employee within the department to ask how to improve morale and the culture. He said he’s also been greatly satisfied that he helped to introduce Ceres Police Department to increased technological tools, including license plate readers on patrol units, surveillance cameras along traffic routes in Ceres and in parks and the police drone program.

His retirement is occurring at a time when the dispatchers are at a breaking point. Dispatchers say they are overworked and underpaid and threaten to leave for other cities and have not been shy about expressing their dissatisfaction at City Council meetings.

“The morale at the dispatch center is low,” admitted Collins, “and how that’s going to be addressed is yet to be determined.”

Recruiting and retaining dispatchers – a fast-paced and stressful job that he said requires the “right mindset” – is not a problem exclusive to Ceres, said Collins, but Ceres’ pay isn’t helping matters.

“Dispatchers are crucial. Quite frankly, if we don’t have dispatchers we can’t operate. I do think I’m leaving it in good shape. I think if the city could find a way to increase compensation for not only the officers but for every employee in the city then it’ll go nowhere but up. But I do think I’m leaving the department in a good spot.”

Collins signaled his plans to take a month or two off to find another job – not in law enforcement – to help send his son to college.

In their last meeting of the year, members of the City Council made brief comments about Collins.

“Thank you for your service and your mentorship,” Mayor Javier Lopez told Collins.

Councilman Daniel Martinez reflected on having served on the council in Collins’ last year, telling the chief: “I appreciate everything that you’ve done and always being at community events and always being the leader that you are.”

Vice Mayor Bret Silveira said he “could say a lot of things about Collins but I probably wouldn’t be able to do it and get it out without getting choked up.”

“You’re going to be really missed on all sides,” commented Councilwoman Rosalinda Vierra.

Collins was born in Oakland and moved to Stanislaus County in 1985. After graduating from Ceres High School in 1991, Rick began his police career in 1993 as a police explorer, becoming a reserve officer in 1995. He became a full-time officer in 1997 and has held positions of detective, sergeant, SWAT team leader, lieutenant and captain. He earned an associate degree from Modesto Junior College and a bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Chapman University.

Collins completed the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Va., in 2017. In 2008 he became the department’s second-ever lieutenant.

Besides police work, Collins has volunteered for many years as a youth soccer coach and board member.

Captain Perry grew up in Ceres and became a police explorer in 1992. His first police job was in Atwater and he came to Ceres Police in May 1997. Perry has served on the department’s Street Crimes Unit, as a Field Training Officer and assigned as a narcotics detective with the Stanislaus County Drug Enforcement Agency in 2001. After his appointment as a sergeant in 2006, Perry worked in traffic, canine and dispatch units. As the traffic sergeant he helped write requests that led to grants for DUI enforcement and electric motorcycles.

In August he was promoted from lieutenant to captain.

Perry earned bachelors and master’s degrees in Criminal Justice, and Community Solutions, and a Management Certification from POST. He is a graduate of the Sherman Block Leadership Institute, POST Executive Development, FBI LEEDA and Drucker Executive Leadership Institute at Claremont Graduate University. 

Chris and wife Julie of 23 years, have two children, Morgan, 20 and Jackson, 17. Two of his brothers are former Ceres Police officers.