New chief of police eager to put Concord First
Concord Chief of Police Mark Bustillos is looking forward to the days when he can get out and meet with residents.
But right now, in just his first week on the job, the coronavirus pandemic is his No. 1 priority.
“I’m having my officers focus on their own personal health and safety when anyone calls 911. If we get an outbreak internally, we can’t provide the level of service needed,” he told the Pioneer on April 8 in his first press interview.
“The second part is educating people who are still violating the social distance rules and reminding them how that affects things,” he added.
Due to the shelter in place order, overall calls for police service are down in Concord. Still, Bustillos wants to keep 911 open for emergencies, so he encourages residents to report social distancing violations via the Concord Connect app.
Long history with San Jose PD
Bustillos, who is replacing retiring chief Guy Swanger, has a bachelor’s degree in international relations from Stanford and a master’s in public policy from Claremont Graduate School.
He started with the San Jose Police Department in 1992, working in field operations, patrol, street narcotics, SWAT team, internal affairs and special investigations, among other assignments as he rose through the ranks. He became deputy chief of bureau administration in 2016 – managing 420 sworn and civilian employees.
Coming to the Concord department, with 154 sworn personnel and 57 civilian staff, is like coming home for Bustillos.
“It reminds me of the community I grew up in, which was San Jose – but with 200,000 people,” he noted. “Kids ride their bikes up and down the streets, well, before COVID-19, people are playing in the parks – I totally understand that kind of community.”
Planning community outreach
When the time is right, Bustillos and his wife will make the move to Concord and he will head to the parks, community fairs and neighborhood association meetings as well as talking with religious and non-profit leaders.
“I want to hear them in their own voice, how they feel and how they interact with the police,” he said. “We can’t do it by ourselves – we have to do it with community help. Part of that is to understand what’s been working for them and hear their experiences. Are they afraid to call the police? Do people feel safe?”
Bustillos says the smaller size of the Concord force makes it a more full-service police department. “My experience has shown me that it’s more of a robust relationship with the community when the agency is smaller and the officers are more jacks of all trades.”
And, he wants to expand upon that close relationship.
A tremendous opportunity
“Frankly, there is a tremendous opportunity in some neighborhoods to do some community building to bring them more into the civic life,” he said, pointing to “Monument Boulevard for sure.”
During the recruitment process, the city of Concord issued a community survey to ask residents and business leaders what they were looking for in the next chief. One of the top traits was the “ability to integrate and build relationships throughout the whole Concord community, becoming an active member of the community.”
“Mark is a proactive and creative problem solver with extensive community policing experience and strong leadership skills,” said Concord city manager Valerie Barone. “I am confident that his positive, inclusive management style will serve the department and our Concord community well.”