BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — The Bakersfield Police Department is preparing to welcome a new assistant chief. Capt. Ted King, a Bakersfield native with more than 22 years of service, is set to officially take on the role Sept. 21.
"I'm super grateful. I know there were a lot of people that were in contention for the position and a lot of my friends. By and large, it's a great team. I'm excited about the future," King said.
King grew up in Bakersfield, attending North High School and Bakersfield College before serving in the U.S. Army and deploying twice to the Middle East.
"My time growing up here was probably like most people's, hot summers, cold winters. Trying to be engaged in sports and and things like that," King said.
He returned home and joined BPD in 2005, working in patrol, robbery-homicide, and special operations before becoming a captain in 2022.
King says his exact responsibilities are still being determined, but his priority will be supporting Chief Brent Stratton's vision while keeping the department connected to the community.
"I think that all of us have just a priority of making sure that the community is safe, that the community feels safe, and that our training and our deployment and all that stuff just supports that," King said.
King is filling the spot left open when Stratton became chief in May. He now joins two other assistant chiefs to help lead the department.
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