Carmel Police chief is on leave after seven months in the job.

In the midst of the emergency for the Monterey Peninsula created by rising flood waters on the Salinas River, Carmel Mayor Dave Potter and City Administrator Chip Rerig along with other top staff appeared in a YouTube video urging residents to be prepared. Conspicuously absent was Carmel Police Chief Alan Ward, sworn in just seven months earlier on June 3, 2022. 

In his place representing the police department was Jeffrey Watkins, a long-time member of the department, who was referred to as "acting chief." 

Rerig says by phone that Ward is on leave. He was tightlipped about the reason for the leave or whether it was paid or not.

Ward was hired after a nationwide search following the retirement of the former chief, Paul Tomasi. At Ward's swearing in ceremony Rerig said he found Ward to be " thoughtful, intelligent, approachable."

Ward previously served in the police department of Merced, a city of roughly 84,000, for 29 years, moving up the ranks to captain upon his retirement from the department on April 29, 2022.

In a video on the Merced Police Facebook page commemorating the event, Merced Police Chief Thomas Cavallero thanked Ward then said, "You're a gentleman, you're very gracious, you're a consummate professional. Can you be frisky? Yes you can. But that's what I appreciated most, so thank you very much." Ward chuckles at the end of Cavallero's words.

Turning to Ward's future, Cavallero said the police department where Ward was heading was "getting a great chief and a great leader."

Ward spoke next, stating that law enforcement is in a great place, "as opposed to what other people think," and that was why he chose "to steward more folks in another community."

During his swearing in ceremony in Carmel on June 3, Ward said he was very excited to be stepping in as chief. "I get a twinge of excitement every time someone refers to it as 'The Village.'"