Chief Rocky Marquez New Oxnard Police Chief

Oxnard has a new police chief. Rocky Marquez, a hometown officer who has spent his entire law enforcement career with the Oxnard Police Department, was sworn in Wednesday, November 4, 2026, during a well-attended ceremony at the Oxnard City Council chambers, the Vida Newspaper reported.

City Manager Alexander Nguyen appointed Marquez as the department's 23rd police chief. The swearing-in marks the culmination of a steady, two-decade climb through the ranks of a department Marquez first joined as a patrol officer in 2002 — and it puts an Oxnard-raised leader at the top of one of Ventura County's largest city police agencies at a moment when crime statistics in the city are trending downward.

A Homegrown Chief

Marquez was born and raised in Oxnard and Port Hueneme and is a graduate of Hueneme High School, a detail that resonated with many in attendance at the ceremony. His path to the chief's office is a local one, start to finish: 24 years with the same department, moving from patrol officer to sergeant, then to commander in 2022, where he oversaw investigative services. In 2025 he was promoted to assistant police chief, leading the Investigative and Administrative Services Bureaus.

Speaking at the ceremony, Marquez emphasized his roots and his readiness for the job.

"I feel so honored to be here today with my family from home, my family from the police department and family from the City of Oxnard," Marquez said, according to Vida Newspaper. "I was selected to do a job and I am ready and able to do it."

He pointed to the everyday stakes of police work in the city — children playing in parks, residents shopping and driving through their neighborhoods with "a sense of security" — and pledged to lead the department's officers "to the best of my knowledge and ability."

"I'm honored to have the opportunity to serve as Oxnard's next Police Chief and to continue serving the community that raised me and where I have spent my entire law enforcement career," Marquez said in a statement. "I look forward to building upon this department's strong foundation, and I am incredibly proud to serve alongside our dedicated officers and professional staff who work tirelessly each day to keep our community safe. Together we will honor the trust placed in us and make Oxnard proud."

Taking Charge of a 371-Employee Department

As chief, Marquez leads a department of 371 employees — 242 sworn officer positions and 129 full-time professional staff positions — responsible for policing a city of more than 200,000 residents, the most populous in Ventura County.

He inherits a department reporting meaningful progress on crime. According to figures cited at the time of his appointment, reported violent crime in Oxnard decreased nearly 10% in 2025 compared with 2023, while property crime fell 13.4% compared with 2024. City officials have framed those numbers as evidence that the department's community policing and enforcement strategies are working, and Marquez indicated he intends to build on that foundation.

The appointment also represents a continuity of leadership within the department. Marquez's rise — from commander overseeing investigations, to assistant chief, and now to chief — means the transition comes from within rather than through an outside hire, something that can shorten the learning curve for a new chief and preserve institutional relationships built with neighborhood groups, schools and fellow agencies across the 805.

What It Means for Oxnard Residents

For residents, the practical significance of a new chief lies in priorities: how officers are deployed across neighborhoods, how the department approaches gangs, homelessness and property crime, and how it maintains community trust. Marquez's remarks at the ceremony focused squarely on public safety in daily life — parks, stores, streets — suggesting that neighborhood-level policing will remain a central theme of his tenure.

His local upbringing also carries symbolic weight in a diverse, working-class city where the relationship between police and the community is often shaped by whether officers are seen as part of the neighborhoods they serve. A chief who grew up in Oxnard and Port Hueneme and graduated from a local high school is, by definition, a chief who knows the community firsthand.

What Comes Next

Marquez takes over at a time when the department's staffing — 242 sworn positions — is central to ongoing city discussions about service levels and response times. How he manages recruitment, retention and the distribution of officers across the city's neighborhoods will be among the first tests residents will watch.

The swearing-in ceremony itself, held in City Council chambers before a packed room of family, officers and city officials, underscored the breadth of support behind the appointment. City Manager Nguyen's selection of a career-long Oxnard officer as the 23rd chief signals confidence in the department's existing direction even as leadership changes hands.

Residents who want to follow the new chief's work can expect Marquez to appear at upcoming City Council meetings and community events as he settles into the role. For a city that has seen measurable declines in both violent and property crime in recent years, the task now is keeping that momentum going — and, as Marquez put it, making Oxnard proud.

This article is based on reporting by [Vida Newspaper](https://vidanewspaper.com/2026/11/04/chief-marquez-new-oxnard-police-chief/).