On Tuesday the Turlock Police Department bid farewell to Sgt. Douglas Ravaglioli who is retiring from the department and celebrated the promotion of Steve Crawford to sergeant.

Ravaglioli has been a peace officer for 30 years and a member of the Turlock Police Department since 1993. He has served in numerous divisions, including as a negotiator with the critical response team and as a homicide detective with the investigations unit. He has also been a founding member of several community outreach organizations geared toward preventing violence and advocating for victims.

“I don’t know anyone who has served to this level,” Police Chief Gary Hampton said of Ravaglioli. “He’s clearly the model of a peace officer.”

Ravaglioli’s departure opened up a sergeant’s position at the department that will now be filled by Crawford.

Crawford first joined the Turlock Police Department as a cadet in 1996, and became an officer in 1998. He has served as a field training officer, in the honor guard, and was at one time the only officer assigned to the motorcycle unit. In 2007 he was promoted to corporal. In 2010 he was presented with the Distinguished Service Medal for talking a suicidal man off of a freeway overpass.