By Allen Payton, Publisher

After spending his entire law enforcement career with the Antioch Police Department, 45-year-old Allan Cantando rose through the ranks to become Antioch’s Chief of Police, last Friday, July 1. He was given the oath of office at an official ceremony, today, Thursday, July 7.

In attendance at the ceremony were a couple hundred family members and guests, including the mayor and city manager, current and past mayors and council members, community leaders, other police chiefs in the county, as well as three former Antioch Police Chiefs.

Both City Manager Jim Jakel and Mayor Jim Davis offered their remarks before Cantando was sworn in  by City Clerk Jolene Martin.

“Sometimes I second-guess myself,” Jakel said. “This is the right decision, right from the beginning.

“He’s held virtually every position in the department. He’d do a good job in any community. But he has connections. Just look at the diversity in this room. He’s linked in,” Jakel added.

Mayor Davis spoke directly to the new chief.

“It is with great pleasure that I congratulate you on your advancement, Allan, to Chief of Police. The council is 100% behind you.”

Then, with his wife Cherith by his side, holding their 17-month-old son, Connor, Cantando was given his oath of office by Martin, as cameras flashed and video cameras rolled to commemorate the event.

He then invited his father, Elwood “Woody” Cantando, to pin the chief’s lapel pin on his uniform.

Then an at-times emotional Cantando was given the microphone  and thanked his wife and family members, who he had introduced earlier, and the Chiefs of Police that had given him his start, and those who mentored him in his career, plus those in the Antioch Police Department.

“This is something I’ve dreamt about since I became a police officer,” he said. “Thank you to Jim Jakel for his confidence in me. I was overwhelmed by the support of the stakeholders in this community.”

He referred to a book about successful people, entitled “The Outliers” and how it takes being in the right place at the right time with people who have mentored them.

He spoke of Jim Nunes, the former Pleasant Hill Police Chief who gave him the opportunity to become a cadet in that police department.  Cantando shared how proud he was to wear “that cool, little shiny police badge.”

“I became a part of a profession I love,” he stated.

Cantando mentioned former Antioch Police Chief Len Herendeen who had hired him and was in attendance at the ceremony. He spoke of the recently retired Chief Jim Hyde who mentored him and finally of former Chief Mark Moczulski who encouraged him to apply for positions and promoted him to Lieutenant then Captain.

He concluded his remarks with a commitment.

“I love this department and love this city and as a department, we’ll make a collective difference,” Cantando stated.

the attachments to this post:

Jim Nunes with Allan Cantando

Cantando’s father pins him

Allan Cantando takes oath of office

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 7th, 2011 at 8:02 pm and is filed under News, Police & Crime. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.