The City of Santa Maria announced the appointment of a new police chief.
Marc Schneider will begin as Acting Chief on Saturday, Dec. 19, before officially becoming the city's new Police Chief on Jan. 2, 2021.
Schneider has worked for the Santa Maria Police Department since 1995, moving up through the ranks of officer, sergeant, lieutenant, and most recently, division commander.
Schneider takes over for Police Chief Phil Hansen, who is retiring effective Dec. 18.
Hansen previously told KSBY News he believed he's helped get many people in the department ready to take over if the city were to choose to hire his replacement from within.
Schneider has a Bachelor's Degree in Criminology and a Master's Degree in Human Resource Management. According to the city, he is also on the Board of Trustees for Child Abuse Listening Mediation (CALM) and the Advisory Board for One805, is a Department Liaison for the Santa Maria Police Council, and is a member of the Breakfast Rotary Club of Santa Maria and the Santa Maria Elks Lodge.
