Ex-West Sac Cop is Merced Police Chief

By Elizabeth Hume, The Sacramento Bee, Calif.

Mar. 16–MERCED – Russ Thomas, a former West Sacramento police officer, has been named police chief, according to Merced officials.

Thomas served in West Sacramento from 1988 to 1996, reaching the rank of lieutenant.

In 1996, West Sacramento paid $400,000 in a civil settlement to a man shot by Thomas in 1992, city records show. Investigators said Thomas apparently misidentified Bruce Stark as an armed robber and shot him in the stomach. Stark was never charged.

Thomas, a 30-year law enforcement veteran, worked in Moraga from 1996 to 2002, at which time he was named police chief of Fort Bragg in Mendocino County, said Mike Conway, Merced spokesman.

Thomas, 66, will start April 1 at an annual salary of $112,925. The department has about 120 personnel, including about 60 sworn officers, Conway said.

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Sacramento Bee, Calif.

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