He worked his way up in the Merced Police Department for 21 years. Now he's chief

Merced's newest police chief has been serving and protecting the city for more than 20 years.

Merced Police Capt. Chris Goodwin, 48, will officially become the city's top cop next week, according to a news release.

The 21-year veteran of the police department has already been serving as the interim chief since former Chief Norman Andrade's retirement in December.

"Chris was the best person for the job," City Manager Steve Carrigan said. "He knows the city, he knows the community, he knows the department. He has everything I was looking for in a police chief."

Goodwin's goals include crafting a policy outlining the release of video from officers' body cameras and car cameras, the release states.

Most recently, the department has been criticized by community advocates for refusing to release video footage of the arrest of William Colbert, a black man in Merced who claims police beat him during a confrontation in March.

"It comes back to being more transparent to the community, and also being able to tell our side of the story," Goodwin said, noting he also wants a greater presence on social media, including Facebook and Twitter.

Goodwin, who has bachelor's and master's degrees in criminal science, started his career in Merced as a police officer in 1996, according to the release. He was a field training officer, detective, sergeant on patrol, lieutenant and captain.

In addition to participating in the department's Gang Violence Suppression Unit, Goodwin was a defense tactics instructor, was in the SWAT unit and has been involved with the department's active shooter program.

One point of focus for Goodwin is dispatcher and officer retention and recruitment, according to the release. Another point is the potential construction of a new, larger headquarters for the police department.

In August, the city unanimously approved purchase of the Merced Sun-Star building for $1.62 million. The city is looking at a potential tax increase to pay for an estimated $30 million in construction costs.

This story was originally published June 12, 2018 at 1:54 PM with the headline "He worked his way up in the Merced Police Department for 21 years. Now he's chief."