The Oro Valley Police Department promoted Lead Police Officer Krista Salica to the rank of sergeant effective Sept. 21, 2025, the department announced at a public ceremony.

Police Chief Riley opened the event by thanking attendees “for being here, to celebrate Krista Salica's promotion to Sergeant.” The department issued Special Directive 2025-7, which names Salica (badge number 286) as promoted and states she will report to Commander Young for assignment.

Why it matters: The promotion places Salica in a supervisory role responsible for other officers’ performance and safety. Mayor Joe Winfield, who attended the ceremony, said Salica had “hit the ground running coming to the Oro Valley Police Department” and told her she would now be responsible for fellow officers’ progress and safety.

At the ceremony Salica thanked family, mentors and colleagues and said, “I'm really happy to have found, like, a home here finally.” She described encouragement from her husband and son as key to pursuing leadership and said she hoped to “make the town and this department proud.”

The department presented Salica with formal credentials and a new badge labeled “sergeant.” The directive in the ceremony text lists the promotion as “Special Directive number 2025-7” and indicates the effective date as 09/21/2025; the transcript records a time phrase of “1 hours” with that date but does not clearly specify a clock time in the directive language.

The ceremony was brief and ceremonial: remarks were limited to department leaders, the mayor and Salica, and the department announced it will send photographs to family members and attendees on request. The department asked attendees to reach out if they wanted event photos forwarded.

No vote or council action was recorded; the promotion was issued administratively by the police department.