Police Chief Robert Lehner accepted a position as chief of police in Elk Grove, Calif., City Manager Jon Ruiz confirmed Tuesday, and will spend his last day with the Eugene Police Department on Oct. 17.
According to a Eugene Police Department news release, Ruiz will appoint an interim chief from within the department until the national search begins. The search is expected to take nine to 12 months and offer opportunities for community involvement in the process. Lehner’s starting date in Elk Grove is set for Oct. 20.
After serving nearly five years as police chief, Lehner, who was recruited for the Elk Grove position, said he is excited to move on and seize the new opportunity. His excitement and enthusiasm, however, came with some reservations.
“I am sad about leaving Eugene and the community members, but excited about new opportunities in Elk Grove,” Lehner said.

Lehner, who has 30 years of experience working in law enforcement, said his main accomplishments as EPD’s chief included revamping internal investigations, developing a better understanding of the community, and creating a strategic plan that fit the community’s wants and needs.
Specifically, Lehner said the department understood what services the community expected from EPD.
“Eugene is a great city, and has a great police department,” Lehner said. “I am honored to have been chief.”
Lehner explained that police chiefs generally serve four or five years in large cities, and said politics had nothing to do with his decision to leave.
The chief described Elk Grove as a city “created overnight.” The city’s size is similar to Eugene, but its police department wasn’t created until 2006, Lehner said.
Lehner called his recruitment to Elk Grove a unique opportunity he couldn’t pass up. “What they were looking for really did fit with my basket of skills,” he said.
According to the EPD press release, the department plans to continue moving forward with its efforts to create the police civilian review system and downtown public safety.
Lehner said the transition comes at an appropriate time for EPD.
“The department is in good shape to address challenges,” he said. “It is moving up.”
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