California Police Chief- Fall 2013 | Page 20

Married with Badges Carlos and Colleen Mestas are the only married police chiefs in America When Colleen Mestas became police chief of Visalia in December 2009 after serving as interim chief for three months, the law enforcement veteran achieved a rare milestone – with a little help from her husband. With Carlos A. Mestas serving as police chief of nearby Hanford since 2003, the two instantly became only the second husband-and-wife team of police chiefs in California history. Carlo Cudio was police chief of Monterey in 2005 when his wife, Paulette, was appointed police chief in Gonzales in 2005. Both Colleen and Carlos Mestas say the demanding job of running police departments has made for some fascinating pillow talk, but that they try not to bring their work home with them. “It can be difficult,” says Colleen Mestas, 46. “You have to make a concerted effort to say to yourself, ‘I’m at home now.’ We have to remind ourselves that we are people outside of work.” Carlos Mestas and Colleen Mestas 20 | Behind The Badge