Stephen Schluer will serve as Manteca’s police chief following the retirement of  Mike Agular later this month.

Schluer is the captain of the department’s operationists division. He is also a Manteca Unified School District board trustee.

Schluer’s contract as interim police chief will go through the end of March. It runs concurrently with that of Interim City Manager Toni Lundgren and Interim Assistant City Manager Jose Jasso.

Lundgren said tying the three positions together allows whoever is hired as the permanent city manager determine who will serve as the permanent police city and permanent assistant city manager.

The Manteca City Council on Tuesday thanked Aguilar for his 25 years of service with the Manteca Police Department.

Aguilar has served as Manteca’s permanent police chief since June 2021.

Aguilar is the seventh permanent police chief to serve Manteca in the past 30 years. The others were Willie Weatherford, Richard Gregson, Charlie Halford, Dave Bricker, Nick Obligacion, and Jodie Estarziau.

All of them — except Gregson — rose from the ranks of the Manteca Police Department.

Two went on to be elected to the Manteca City Council, Weatherford and Halford. Weatherford eventually was elected, mayor and served for 12 years in that position — the longest tenure of any mayor in Manteca history.

 Aguilar has been a part of the Manteca Police force since August of 1997. He was promoted to captain in August of 2018. He was appointed Acting Chief of Police in November of 2019. He served in the role of Acting Chief of Police until retired Modesto Police Chief Mike Harden’s appointment as interim chief in August of 2020.

Aguilar again served as interim chief when the council elevated Harden to interim city manager.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com