09 Sep Pinole Chief of Police Retires After 36 Years

(Pinole Police Department via Bay City News)

By Bay City News

Pinole Police Chief of Police Neil Gang retired last week after spending 36 years in law enforcement.

“It has been an honor and a blessing to serve the Pinole community,” Gang said in a statement Thursday. “Together with the outstanding officers of the Pinole Police Department, we have worked to make this city a safer, stronger, and more connected place to live. I look forward to the next chapter, but will always cherish the relationships and achievements made in Pinole.”

Gang earned a reputation as a reformist leader in the police department over his tenure, pioneering programs like what Pinole says was the nation’s first Video Reporting Program and the Asher Model-7 Point Approach to a Culture of Wellness. He introduced social and emotional intelligence into hiring and promotional processes as well, according to the press release.

“Chief Gang’s tremendous impact will resonate long after his retirement,” said the city’s press release. “His innovative programs and leadership models have left a lasting legacy across multiple areas of public safety and city governance across the City of Pinole.”

His reforms earned Gang the California Police Chiefs Association’s Joe Malloy Award in 2023 and led to him being named Public Safety Hero of the Year by the U.S. House of Representatives in 2020.

Gang began his work as a police officer in West Windsor, N.J., in 1988 before moving on to leadership positions in Pembroke Pines, Fla., and Surprise, Ariz., according to the press release. Gang served as a canine handler, field training officer and lieutenant before joining Pinole police.

He became chief just a year after joining the Pinole Police Department as a commander in 2013. Later, he served as fire chief from 2017 to 2019 and as interim city manager for 11 months, with his interim tenure ending earlier this summer.

Gang attended Northwestern University School of Police Staff Command, where he was class president. He later earned a master’s degree in law enforcement and public safety leadership at UC San Diego, after earning a bachelor’s degree in justice administration at Wayland Baptist University.

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