Who is going to serve as Manteca Police’s next chief?

Municipal leaders will start pondering that question in September.

Bricker retired at the end of 2010. He was hired back on a part-time basis on a contractual basis for 960 hours for the balance of the 2010-11 fiscal year that ended June 30 and then for 960 hours for the current fiscal year starting July 1.

But he can’t work any longer than Dec. 31 in the current fiscal year that ends June 30, 2011.

That means his days as police chief are numbered - 154 to be exact.

City Manager Steve Pinkerton, who is departing Sept. 1 to take over as city manager for Davis, said the council doesn’t plan to start thinking about a replacement until at least September.

They could do a number of things. They could open it up to candidates from inside and outside the department, promote only from within, or opt to appoint an interim police chief and take longer to make a decision on a permanent replacement.

Bricker was able to lock in his retirement and saved Manteca $60,000 at the same time as they are not paying into his retirement with the Public Employees Retirement System, his health benefits, or other payroll related costs. Instead, he is being paid per hour with a maximum of 36 hours a week on the clock.

It also made it possible for him to retire in 2010 before possible changes to the retirement rules go into effect 2011 that would be to his personal financial detriment.

Bricker has served 3.5 years as police chief so far. Manteca has had four police chiefs during the past 25 years. They were Willie Weatherford, Richard Gregson, Charlie Halford, and Dave Bricker. During that time there were three city managers - Dave Jenkins, Bob Adams, and Steve Pinkerton.

When Bricker joined the department in 1979 there were 36 officers serving a city of 36,000. Today there are 58 sworn officers serving a city of 69,000. Three years ago, the department had been authorized 83 officers.

Bricker has served as president of the Sunrise Kiwanis and Manteca Kiwanis, Give Every Child a Chance as well as the Manteca-Lathrop Boys & Girls Club. He has also served on the boards of other organizations such as the South County Crisis Center and South County Crime Stoppers.