Darren Goodman was sworn in as Police Chief for the City of San Bernardino, California, on Wednesday, June 15, becoming the city’s first Black man to hold the position in its 116-year history.
Goodman worked in law enforcement for over thirty years before being appointed to this position, including as Chief of Police for the cities of Upland and Chino Hills. He also served in the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department for 21 years.
The ceremony was attended by police chiefs from several neighboring cities, community members, and family members. Following an invocation by Police Chaplain Nelson Glass, 4th Ward Councilman Fred Shorett, the city council’s longest-serving member, welcomed the new Chief.
“While experience and longevity are important attributes of a Chief it is his other qualities that make Chief Goodman the clear choice to lead our department. San Bernardino will soon learn the Chief is a hands-on leader. I think we’ve already seen that in the first two weeks he’s been here engaging with members of the community.
Shorett went on to say that the Chief is a problem solver, “recognizing challenges, identifying solutions, and confronting them head-on.” The Chief is an innovative leader who will work collaboratively to get things done.”
Chief Goodman was sworn in by his wife Shawna Goodman, after which he thanked everyone who came, including his wife, family, and others, along with other law enforcement leaders. “You heard about my journey, you heard about my career, so I won’t be redundant,” he continued, “but what I want to talk about is here and now.”
Goodman emphasized how the San Bernardino Police Department serves the second-largest city in the Inland Empire and the eighteenth-largest city in California, and how serving as its leader is an honor and a privilege for him. “I wouldn’t have accepted this appointment if it wasn’t for the people who work for the San Bernardino P.D. I really have been impressed these last two weeks.”
“The other reason I accepted this job,” he continued, “is I believe in the potential of San Bernardino, I really do. I believe in the hope that still exists. There’s some great people in this city and they’ve been here a long time fighting, struggling, hoping to see their quality of life improve. I want to be a part of that. I think that we can get there.”
Goodman praised his team as “fantastic” and expressed their commitment to assisting him in reaching his objectives. “We’re going to make some changes, we’re going to make some improvements,” he promised.
“I can guarantee I will be relentless and unapologetic in our pursuit of the criminals that are destroying the city. We will enforce the law, we will do it fairly, with dignity, professionalism, and respect for all people, but we will strike that balance of being firm and making sure we hold people accountable as we hold ourselves accountable.”
Goodman went on to say that he will always defend his officers who do the right thing. “I will always recognize the wonderful things they do day in and day out and I will never miss an opportunity to share that with the public.” He went on to say, “I will stand front and center and own any mistakes we make.”