Fallon Mayor Ken Tedford, right, congratulates Kris Alexander after the city council approved him to become Fallon’s new police chief.
A veteran police captain with more than 20 years of experience in community law enforcement has been appointed Fallon’s new police chief.
Kris Alexander was sworn in as the city’s newest police chief on Nov. 15 at the regularly scheduled Fallon City Council meeting. Alexander succeeds Kevin Gehman, who retired at the beginning of the month after serving as the city’s police chief since March 2008.
The Fallon City Council will hold a special meeting on Wednesday at 9 a.m. to appoint and confirm John Frandsen to replace Alexander as a captain.
Mayor Ken Tedford said he felt Alexander was the right man for becoming the city’s new police chief. Tedford said Alexander has proven himself in a number of roles with the police department since he was hired in 1997 as a reserve police officer. At the time, Alexander was a firefighter with the Federal Fire Department at Naval Air Station Fallon. One year later, the city hired Alexander as a full-time police officer, and then he entered the police academy in 1988 before starting his patrol career.
Alexander comes from a Navy family that was stationed at Naval Air Station Fallon after he graduated from high school in Washington state.
For the past 23 years, Tedford has been able to see Alexander’s career grow, especially by filling in when Gehman was out of the office.
“We were able to see how Kris handled the chief’s job,” Tedford said, adding Alexander has demonstrated he’s capable, reliable and trustworthy.
In addition to working the streets as a police officer, Alexander also assumed other roles such as school resource officer, co-adviser for the FPD’s Explorer scout program and an investigator with the North Central Narcotics Task Force. He rose to the ranks to become a captain in 2017.
As a sergeant in the Patrol Division, Alexander supervised the Field Training Officer Program and day-to-day activities. For the past four years as one of two captains in the FPD, Alexander has overseen the Investigation Division, Communication and Records, Animal Control and Community Service officer, School Resource officers and Narcotics Investigator and Volunteers in Police Service Programs.
“I know he will do a fine job,” Tedford said.
Alexander said he brings 24 years of institutional knowledge to the FPD, and he learned much from Gehman, whom he called a great police chief.
“We have a phenomenal city, city council, county,” Alexander said.
Alexander knows the residents of Fallon expect much from their police department, and the high survey results indicate the trust residents have with law enforcement.
“I’m also big on community involvement,” Alexander added. “If you’re part of the community, the community respects you.”
Alexander is married to Jerilyn, and they have four children.
Although his time will be spent as the city’s top law enforcement officer, Alexander said he will still enjoy riding his Harley-Davidson motorcycle. He has toured in the 11 western states during the past two decades with his brother-in-law.
