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The city of Riverside has named Frank Robinson its new police chief.
Robinson, a lieutenant with the Monroe Police Department, is scheduled to be confirmed at Riverside’s city council meeting Nov. 21, and will start his new duties on Monday, Jan. 6, 2014.
Robinson, 48, accepted the position earlier this week. His annual salary will be $81,993.60. Riverside City Council was informed of Robinson’s hiring Thursday night in executive session.
“It’s time for me to move forward in my career,” Robinson said. “I’ve put forth a lot of effort to get to this point, and I felt like Riverside was a good place to go. It’s going to be a really good fit for me.”
Robinson has been with Monroe since 1994 and a lieutenant since 2008. Last year, Robinson became an Ohio certified law enforcement executive and graduated from Tiffin University with a master’s degree in criminal justice administration. He applied for the police chief positions in Fairfield Twp. and Trenton earlier this year.
Robinson was one of three candidates Riverside interviewed to replace former police chief Mark Reiss, who left in July to take a job in Michigan.
Mike Varner, a captain with the Springfield Police Department, and Ronald Krueger, the former police chief in Rockledge, Fla., also were interviewed.
“Overall, (Robinson) brought a personality that would mesh the best with the current leadership,” Riverside City Manager Bryan Chodkowski said. “It really came down to personality. While Mike clearly demonstrated he had the ability and experience to run a department, there’s a clear passion and enthusiasm from Frank that tipped the scales.”
Robinson lives in Monroe with his wife Nikki and their 9-month-old son. He said they eventually would like to move to the area.
Reiss, a West Michigan native, was hired as the new public safety director for the city of Greenville, Mich. He had been Riverside’s police chief since the fall of 2008.
Sgt. Jeffrey Trego has been serving as the interim police chief.
There are a total of 28 employees in the city’s police department, which has a $3.83 million budget this year.
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