Rick Sanchez sworn in as new Cathedral City Police Chief

CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. (KESQ) – Cathedral City officially swore in its newest police chief, Rick Sanchez, Tuesday evening at City Hall.

Sanchez had served as the acting chief since the retirement of former Chief George Crum in December 2025. He is the first Latino to lead the department. He's a nearly 20-year veteran with the department having joined the department in 2006.

The ceremony filled Cathedral City's council chambers with city leaders, top law enforcement officials from across the valley, and residents of the city.

"I think it's great," said Sandra Martinez, one of the residents in attendance. "Having the first Latino chief is great for the community. It sounds like he's going to represent the community really well."

It was a months-long process to find the right person for the job. Mayor Raymond Gregory added, "We needed someone that could hit the ground running that could, you know, keep control of the police department, be accountable and transparent to the public. And we think we have the right man."

Mayor Gregory said while home-grown, the position wasn't handed to Sanchez just because of his history with the department. He said he earned it – and with that, he's made the city proud.

"This was something that was earned. But to be able to find someone inside the ranks," the mayor said. "Our first Latino chief, a chief that came up through the ranks... it's a really proud day for Cathedral City."

In August, News Channel 3 spoke exclusively with the incoming chief. He outlined his goals, including a commitment to public trust, collaboration, accountability and community-oriented policing.

We followed up with the chief on those goals after the ceremony. He led our crews on a walkthrough of the station, giving us an inside look.

When asked about where he plans to steer the department next, he replied, "Continue to move forward. We need to embrace technology to see how it can help our job be a little more efficient. Our drone first responder program has been a tremendous help not only to our department, but to the other departments as well in our city."

Some of these new technologies, like license plate cameras, have received public pushback in recent weeks. He made it clear that he was prioritizing being transparent and educating the community about the tech.

"Technology... you need to be responsible with it," Chief Sanchez affirmed. "There has to be the training, the supervision, the auditing and the transparency in place to share with the residents as to why the technology is needed, how it benefits them and the department and how there's some type of oversight to protect people from this using it."

The chief was quick to offer a chance for our cameras to peek into the brains of the department: the dispatch center. Like other departments in the valley, this is where it controls its drone program and safety cameras. The personnel inside said the technology they're leveraging is helping boost safety for both officers and the public.

"Do you think you're going to give tours just like this to members of the public, if they want it?" we asked Chief Sanchez after he finished showing us around.

"We would hope so, especially once we get more drone operators," he teased.

While there's no concrete timeline for getting station tours running for Cathedral City residents, he said it's certainly in the cards as more personnel, like drone operators, are hired.

As chief, Sanchez now oversees a department with 81.5 sworn and professional employees serving more than 52,000 residents. He said he plans to build on the department’s existing foundation while emphasizing professionalism, transparency, innovation and community partnerships.

Our walk with Rick ended on the top floor of the station, feet away from the Chief's Office. Hanging on the wall were the portraits of the chiefs that came before him. With a proud look in his eye, Sanchez said, "I am the first one in the Cathedral City Police Department to actually have started here from the ground level and worked my way up and promoted throughout the ranks, which is definitely a tremendous honor and privilege for me."