Two days after laying out a set of strategies to combat rising crime in Turlock, the City of Turlock announced the departure of Turlock Police Chief Robert Jackson.

Jackson has been with the Turlock Police Department since he was hired as a captain in 2007. He was promoted to chief in 2012, becoming the 19th chief to lead the city’s police department.

In a news release the City of Turlock stated Jackson had “chosen to take a break to spend time with family and pursue other career opportunities.”

The release states “Chief Jackson and City Manager [Gary] Hampton have agreed that the future of the Turlock Police Department will take a different path in serving the community and meeting its expectations. City Manager Hampton praises Chief Jackson for his professionalism, dedication, and service to the Turlock community.”

On Tuesday, Jackson oversaw a presentation to the Turlock City Council on the current status of crime in the community. The report, which took a focused look at the most recent crime data as well as that over the past couple of years, found the city was experiencing a 3 percent increase in Part 1 crimes. During the presentation Jackson laid out 10 strategies the department will be implementing to bring the crime rate down.

Jackson’s tenure has seen changes in local law enforcement, particularly with the prison realignment bill AB109, and Prop 47, which reclassified some felony offenses as misdemeanors. It was also a time that the department was experiencing a drop in staffing as officers left for other cities and the positions remained vacant partially because of budget constraints.

Jackson’s career in law enforcement began when he was 15 years old and began volunteering as a student aid at the Ceres Police Department. He went on to be a police explorer and in 1988 he graduated from Modesto Junior College’s police academy and was hired on with the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department. At the sheriff’s department, Jackson served in multiple special assignments and rose through the ranks, which all culminated with his assignment as the police chief for Waterford.

In November 2007, Jackson joined the Turlock Police Department, where he commanded both field and special operations divisions at various times.

He obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Occupational Studies and a Master of Science degree in Emergency Resource Administration from California State University, Long Beach. He also holds a management certification through the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training and an executive certificate in leadership from Cornell University.

Stepping in to serve as Acting Police Chief will be Turlock Police Capt. Nino Amirfar. Amirfar began his law enforcement career in 1989 with the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department and came to the Turlock Police Department in August 1990.

Over his career he has been a field training officer, a member of the bike patrol and the drug suppression unit. He also was the first school resource officer in Turlock and was instrumental in bringing the Every 15 Minutes program to Turlock and Stanislaus County. He was promoted to the rank of Sergeant in 2007 and soon after was promoted to a Lieutenant. He was promoted to Captain in 2015.

As a Captain, Amirfar’s assignment has been to head the Special Operations Division for the Department.

Over the years Amirfar has earned numerous awards and accommodations, including two department issued excellence awards, and a distinguished service award for field training officers.

Amirfar’s appointment to acting police chief is effective immediately.

“I am confident the police department will continue serving the community at the highest levels of dedicated service and professionalism during this interim period,” said Hampton. ”I believe this position will attract high quality candidates who are interested in leading an exceptional police department and enjoy the remarkable quality of life Turlock has to offer.”

The City of Turlock has already initiated the process to contract with an executive search firm in order to generate an expansive and high quality pool of candidates in seeking Turlock’s next police chief. It is estimated the search will take four months.