The decision by Lathrop City Manager Steve Salvatore to fire the City of Lathrop’s first police chief approximately two years into his tenure with the city sent shock waves through the community.

And after Monday night, it’ll likely be the last time that such a thing ever happens.

On Monday night, the Lathrop City Council approved a change to the city’s municipal code that now places the ability to hire and fire both the police chief and the city attorney squarely in the hands of the City Council.

That means the positions will still be under the direction of the city manager, but any decision to terminate the employment of either position will require the permission of the elected body that oversees the city.

As part of the package that included the change to the municipal code, the council also approved changes to the job description that formally gives the council the power to both hire and fire the police chief – as well as an interim contract for Stephen Sealy to serve as the department’s Interim Chief of Police while the council weighs its options.

Sealy, who lives in Lathrop, was hired by former Chief of Police Raymond Bechler to serve as one of the department’s two commanders and was tapped by Salvatore immediately upon Bechler’s termination to step into the role and tackle the day-to-day operations of the department.

In his previous role, Sealy served as the operations commander – which, according to the department’s flow chart, put him in charge of patrol operations and other essential elements of the agency that gave him firsthand experience and knowledge about the inner workings of the community.

Since Bechler’s termination, Sealy has been continuing with many of the same traditions that were established by his predecessor – including a standing monthly “Coffee with The Chief” meeting which gives the general public the opportunity to interact with the city’s top law enforcement official.

And the pay structure for the police chief is also going to change.

Since the position was added to the city’s step-and-column pay scale when it was created, the base salary for the police chief was set at just over $204,000 annually – and increased to just over $248,000 when it maxed out at the fifth step.

Now, much like the positions of the Lathrop City Attorney and Lathrop City Manager, the Lathrop Police Chief will be a contacted position with an unspecified salary.

For additional information, or to obtain a copy of the agenda or the video of the proceedings from Monday’s council meeting, visit the City of Lathrop’s website at www.ci.lathrop.ca.us.

To contact Bulletin reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544.