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Tag: Ryan Kinnan

  • Longtime Citrus Heights police lieutenant hired as Auburn’s top cop

    Ryan Kinnan, Citrus Heights, Auburn Chief of Police
    Former Citrus Heights Police Lt. Ryan Kinnan, center, now serves as Chief of Police in Auburn. // Image credit: Auburn PD

    Sentinel staff report–
    Ryan Kinnan, who served as a lieutenant with the Citrus Heights Police Department until last Friday, now has the new title of Chief of Police for the City of Auburn.

    The announcement was made Monday on the Auburn Police Department’s Facebook page, where Chief Kinnan was pictured in his new uniform alongside several members of Auburn PD.

    Kinnan had been a member of CHPD since 2006, the year the department was formed, and most recently served as a lieutenant in the department’s Investigative Services Division where he oversaw the General Investigations Unit, Special Investigations Unit, and the Youth and Family Services Unit.

    “I have been quite fortunate in my time with the Citrus Heights Police Department,” Kinnan told The Sentinel in an email on Friday. “It has been over 12 years since joining the newly formed agency and during this time I was able to take advantage of many opportunities and experiences that helped me grow and develop into a skilled leader.”

    Kinnan, 42, also said he was excited to join and lead the Auburn Police Department. Auburn’s former police chief, John Ruffcorn, retired in August at age 51.

    According to a 2016 article from the Lincoln News Messenger, Kinnan was also previously among three finalists being considered for the position of police chief in the City of Lincoln two years ago.

  • CHPD wins $182k grant for more DUI checkpoints, safety enforcement

    The Citrus Heights Police Department (CHPD) announced Tuesday it was awarded $182,525 in grant money for a one-year special enforcement and education program, aimed at reducing traffic-related deaths and injuries in the city.

    Stock photo, Citrus Heights police officers. Photo credit: Luke Otterstad
    Stock photo, Citrus Heights police officers

    “I am proud of our continued partnership with the Office of Traffic Safety,” said Lieutenant Ryan Kinnan in a press release, referring to past grants the local Department has received from OTS.

    CHPD says deaths and injuries fell significantly between 2006 and 2010 in Citrus Heights, but saw “slight increases” in 2011 and 2012. Kinnan is hopeful that “innovative strategies” funded by this latest grant will help reduce collisions and injuries in the city.

    In addition to anti-DUI efforts, the Department says grant funds will go toward public awareness and educational presentations, motorcycle safety and distracted driving enforcement, seat belt and child safety seat enforcement, as well as other traffic-related enforcement activities.

    Answering a common question about why the local Department goes out of its way to publicize DUI checkpoints ahead of time, CHPD Public Information Officer Anthony Boehle previously told The Sentinel that awareness efforts are about preventing drunk drivers from getting on the road in the first place.

    “DUI checkpoints are not intended to make arrests,” Officer Boehle said, explaining the more people know about heavy crackdowns on DUI’s, the less likely they are to attempt a drive while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. “It’s all about public awareness.”

    In contrast to the checkpoints, Boehle explained “DUI Saturation Patrols” — also funded by the grant money — have a much higher potential for making arrests, because of a difference in goals. While checkpoints may arrest a small number of drunk drivers, the officer said “Saturation Patrols” are deployed specifically to “hunt” for DUI drivers — adding that a single patrol car can make more arrests in one night, than a checkpoint can in the same time.

    The Department’s high-visibility anti-DUI efforts in the past have been aided by similar grants from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and the latest funds are designed to work towards what OTS calls their shared vision: “Toward zero deaths, every 1 counts.”