City of Vacaville selects Joseph Allio as interim police chief
By Dan McMenamin
Joseph Allio.
VACAVILLE, Calif. - Joseph Allio, Fairfield s former police chief, will take over as Vacaville s interim police chief starting next week, city officials announced Thursday.
Allio began his law enforcement career in 1984 with the South San Francisco Police Department and was with Fairfield police from 1987 to 2017, serving as chief from 2015 to 2017. He also briefly served as Vallejo s interim chief in 2019.
Allio will begin as interim chief starting Monday. Vacaville city officials said one of his main responsibilities as interim chief will be working with an outside consulting firm on a management audit of the Police Department to review its policies and procedures.
Person at Vacaville warming center tests positive for coronavirus
The news comes the same day the city passed 8,000 cases since the pandemic started.
“We have strong protocols in place to limit the impacts of Covid-19 cases,” City Manager Aaron Busch said in a statement. “We are confident that the winter shelter is safe and encourage anyone who needs a place to stay to continue to use the winter shelter.”
The individual was not symptomatic, so the risk of transmission is lower.
The person was transported to another facility outside Vacaville.
City officials said the winter shelter is cleaned each morning as a regular protocol and has already been disinfected.
Vacaville hires public relations manager
City Manager Aaron Busch this week announced the hiring of Maurice Chaney. He starts Feb. 1.
Chaney holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of California, Davis. He is the president of the California Association of Public Information Officials. He comes to Vacaville from Roseville.
“I am honored to join such an amazing, forward-thinking organization,” Chaney said in a statement released by the city. “Vacaville is known by many as a great place to live and do business. And, it is my hope that I can help share the city’s point of view and provide opportunities to inform, educate and engage with our customers, the community and beyond.”
Vacaville cop who punched K-9 partner still working
He has been separated from the dog.
There have been calls for the officer to be fired, and some animal organizations have condemned the officer’s actions.
“As a veterinarian and dog lover, I was deeply disturbed by the video. Police Capt. (Matt) Lydon has defended the officer’s behavior, saying that he was ‘correcting the dog’ for not wanting to give up a toy. The abuse of power and authority in this case is heartbreaking,” Linda Sanders, a veterinarian and biology instructor at Diablo Community College, wrote in an email to the Daily Republic.