Previous Chiefs 1900s
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Marshal Charles H. Holmes, Jr. 1898 & 1902
Charles Holmes was elected as Marshal in 1898, but he left office to serve in the E-Company in the Spanish-American War. When he returned from the war, he ran for Marshal and was appointed again in 1900.
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Marshal George Severson 1902 - 1906
George Severson was the Santa Rosa Marshal from 1902 to 1906.
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Chief Alfred E. Rushmore 1906 - 1910
Chief Rushmore was appointed the first Chief of Police on April 16, 1906. He was Chief until 1910.
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Chief John M. Boyes 1910 - 1918
Chief Boyes was well recognized as one of the State’s best known and respected lawmen and was Chief from 1910 to 1918.
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Chief George W. Matthews 1918 - 1928
Chief Matthews was born on his father’s farm in the immediate vicinity of Santa Rosa.
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Chief Charles B. O’Neal 1928 - 1935
Chief O’Neal holds the tragic place in the department’s history as being the first Santa Rosa officer killed in the line of duty.
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Chief Emil Biavaschi 1935 - 1939
Chief Emil Biavaschi, a naturalized citizen from the northern part of Italy, moved to Santa Rosa from Montana in 1915.
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Chief Watson B. Maxwell 1939 - 1940
Chief Maxwell, a Lake County native, moved to Santa Rosa as a young man and worked as a teamster for a local hauling and storage firm.
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Chief Melvin F. "Dutch" Flohr 1940 - 1974
Melvin I. "Dutch" Flohr was a larger-than-life figure in Sonoma County lore, having been a football hero in Petaluma and at Santa Clara University and hero-type deputy sheriff and having served as chief of police from 1940-1974.
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Chief Salvatore V. Rosano 1974 - 1996
Chief Rosano began his law enforcement career while attending San Francisco City College and San Francisco Sate College.
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Chief Michael A. Dunbaugh 1996 - 2004
Chief Dunbaugh’s law enforcement career began in 1974 with the City of Santa Cruz. He worked as a patrol officer and promoted through the ranks.
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Chief Edwin F. Flint 2004 - 2008
Chief Ed Flint became Chief of Police for Santa Rosa in January 2004.
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Chief Thomas H. Simms 2008 - 2009
Chief Tom Simms was the Interim Chief of Police in Santa Rosa from August 2008 to March 2009.