Three Merced officers move up in the ranks

The Merced Police Department promoted three officers with a ceremony on Friday, but seven patrol officer spots remain open.

Capt. Matt Williams, Lt. Jay Struble and Sgt. Reynaldo Alvarez took their pledges to serve Merced from Chief Norm Andrade as they stood before a crowd of friends, family and colleagues gathered at City Hall.

“It’s been really quite some time since we’ve had this many promotions in different ranks,” Andrade said. “We’re growing in increments, but this is a symbol of that growth.”

Williams, 51, is a 27-year veteran of the department. He grew up near Atwater and earned his bachelor’s from Union Institute & University, which offers degrees related to law enforcement.

“I take what I do seriously. I take my position seriously,” he said. “I’m going to do the best job I can do to serve the department and the people.”

Merced has 84 sworn officers and is working its way back up to fill 91 positions. The department’s all-time high was 101 officers in 2007.

Also a graduate of Union Institute & University, Struble has been with Merced Police Department since 1994. He attended high school in the Sacramento area.

He said he’s had mentors who’ve helped him become a better officer. “Hopefully that’s what the group standing up here can do,” the 45-year-old said. “We can mentor these young officers to get further in their careers.”

The City Council has made a commitment to add officers slowly over the coming years. The city is also looking at purchasing a new building, because officers say the headquarters on West 22nd Street is inadequate.

Alvarez, 32, earned a bachelor’s from Fresno State and a master’s from University of California at Irvine. He thanked his family and co-workers for support during his decade in the department. “As a police officer, I was only as good as the people who surrounded me,” he said.

In Merced, sergeants make between $79,632 and $96,794 annually; lieutenants’ salaries are $92,182 to $112,048; and captains are paid $101,631 to $123,533, according to the city’s salary schedule.

This story was originally published January 15, 2016 at 6:36 PM with the headline "Three Merced officers move up in the ranks."