Auburn swears in Matthew Andrasco as police chief; department seeks STRIVE domestic-violence grant

Police Chief Matthew Andrasco was sworn in during the Auburn City Council meeting on Feb. 13 and used his remarks to outline his immediate priorities and a pending state grant aimed at reducing intimate-partner violence.

Andrasco thanked the mayor, city council and his family and told the chamber he intended to “lead the men and women of the police department and progressing us forward.” He said the department will move “to more of an evidence based style policing,” which he said will help the department assess and hold itself accountable.

The chief also described the STRIVE grant — Statewide Target Reduction in Intimate Partner Violence — which the city expects to place the police department among the grant’s participating agencies. Andrasco said the grant is collaborative and listed partner agencies involved in the planned program: the county sheriff’s office, the district attorney’s office, the community advocacy partner (CAP), the child advocacy center (CAC) and probation. He said data for the grant is already held in the department’s Spillman records and that, if awarded, the police department would be allowed “close to $300,000,” which could fund a detective-bureau position, a coordinator, data analysis and overtime for training and details. Andrasco said officials had been told the grant’s duration is at least two years but that exact multi-year funding beyond that had not been confirmed.

The STRIVE project was described as evidence-based and intended to coordinate services for victims and provide education for offenders in some components of the program; Andrasco said part of the aim is prevention through education as well as victim assistance. He asked for the council’s support for pursuing the grant.

During a brief follow-up the council asked whether applicants had been identified for the data-analyst role the grant would fund. Andrasco said the department had reached out to a regional criminology center, reviewed candidates’ qualifications and received some responses; staff expected to proceed quickly on hiring if the grant is awarded.

The swearing-in portion of the meeting included remarks recognizing the chief’s predecessor and invited family members; the mayor and councilors offered congratulations in the chamber. Andrasco closed by reiterating his intent to “reach across the aisle” with the community and to strengthen relationships between the department and residents.

Less critical procedural items at the meeting included a brief public-announcement segment (the city noted a county electronics-recycling event on March 22 requiring preregistration) and the council’s move to an executive session later in the evening for confidential attorney–client matters and sale or lease of real property.