City of Lacey Selects New Police Chief

Lacey City Manager Scott Spence announced today that Robert “Bob” Almada accepted the City’s offer to serve as Lacey’s next Police Chief. The announcement follows a nationwide search and comprehensive selection process done with Public Sector Search & Consulting. Almada will be the eighth Chief in the department’s 54-year history and will serve as a key member of the executive team. Almada will report directly to Mr. Spence.

“Over the past year, Bob readily embraced and successfully responded to a number of challenges while serving as the Interim Chief of Police for Lacey,” said Spence. “In addition, over the course of his career in law enforcement, he held a variety of positions and acquired a diverse knowledge base and skillset that will benefit this organization and the community. I am extremely confident he will be a successful Police Chief, community member, and an integral part of the City.”

Almada will assume the Lacey Police Chief duties effective July 1, 2021. Almada served as the Interim Police Chief since Chief Semko’s retirement in April 2020. Almada was originally hired in October 2019 to serve as the Lacey Deputy Police Chief. Prior to Lacey, Almada spent 28 years with the Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD). He started in 1991 as a patrol officer and reached the rank of Captain in 2017. While at SMPD, Almada oversaw Special Operations as well as general Police Operations, and served as the Planning Unit and Community Affairs Manager and Emergency Services Manager.

Almada has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from California State University, Long Beach and a Masters of Public Administration in Public Sector Management from California State University, Northridge. In addition, Almada was a member of the inaugural class of the Executive Leadership Institute (ELI) presented by the California Police Chiefs Association and has a post graduate certificate in Leadership from the Drucker School of Management at Claremont University.

“I am truly humbled and thrilled to be a part of the future of the Lacey Police Department and the Lacey community,” said Almada. “I look forward to continuing to serve in this new capacity.”

The Lacey Police Chief oversees a department of 77 employees, including 61 commissioned officers. In addition, this position is accountable for approximately $13,600,000 annual budget. The Police Chief is responsible for public safety services and active crime prevention programs for the benefit of Lacey residents and businesses.

Spence expressed his sincere appreciation to the community members who took part in the Police Chief selection process by providing questions for the Police Chief Finalist Community Forum and to the community members that served on the Community Interview Panel. “I am grateful that, even with the on-going pandemic we were able to have the community actively engaged in this process,” said Spence.