Oxnard Police Chief Jason Benites Announces Retirement

Oxnard Police Chief Jason Benites announced this week that he will retire after 33 years with the Oxnard Police Department, capping a six-year tenure as the city's top cop and setting in motion a leadership handoff that City Manager Alexander Nguyen says will keep the department in familiar hands.

Benites, who completes 33 years of service on November 1, 2026, will serve his final day as chief on November 3, with an official retirement date of November 4, the Vida Newspaper reported. To lead the transition, Nguyen is appointing Assistant Chief Rocky Marquez as the department's 23rd Police Chief.

"On behalf of the Oxnard community, we thank Chief Benites for his steadfast leadership of the department over the past six years and his decades of service dedicated to keeping Oxnard safe," Nguyen said in the announcement. "We're fortunate to have strong leadership within our Police Department, and I am confident that Rocky Marquez will continue the department's commitment to excellence and service to our community as our next Police Chief."

A Homegrown Succession

For Oxnard residents, the most notable part of the transition may be how local it is. Marquez was born and raised in Oxnard and Port Hueneme and is a graduate of Hueneme High School. He joined the Oxnard Police Department in 2002, making him a 24-year veteran of the agency, and he has climbed every rung of the department's ladder along the way.

Marquez began his career as a patrol officer before being promoted to sergeant. In 2022 he was elevated to commander, where he oversaw investigative services, and in 2025 he was promoted to assistant police chief, a role in which he leads the department's Investigative and Administrative Services Bureaus.

"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. "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."

As chief, Marquez will lead a department of 371 employees — 242 sworn officer positions and 129 full-time professional staff positions — responsible for policing Ventura County's largest city.

Benites Leaves on a Falling Crime Trend

Benites departs with the department pointing to measurable public safety gains. According to figures cited in the retirement announcement, Oxnard recorded significant crime reductions in recent years: reported violent crime in 2025 fell nearly 10% compared to 2023, while property crime dropped 13.4% compared to 2024.

In his announcement, Benites framed the leadership change as the result of deliberate planning, emphasizing his focus on cultivating leadership from within the ranks.

"One of my goals as Chief has been to build and prepare a strong leadership team capable of guiding this agency forward," Benites said. "We have that. Today, I can confidently say we have the talent, teamwork, vision, and drive to ensure a great transition. Our team will continue to work hard to provide outstanding public safety service delivery to Oxnard, and a safe future for our community."

Why the Transition Matters Locally

Police leadership changes in Oxnard carry weight beyond the department's ranks. As the largest city in the 805 region, Oxnard has long grappled with the tensions common to big-city policing — gang activity, property crime and calls for community-oriented enforcement — while relying on a department that prides itself on promoting from within. The Benites-to-Marquez handoff continues that pattern, and Marquez's deep local roots, from Hueneme High to two decades inside the agency, signal continuity rather than a change in direction.

For residents, the practical implications are likely to be subtle. The incoming chief takes over a department already structured around the bureaus he has run since 2025, and the transition period between the November 3 departure and Marquez's formal assumption of duties is expected to be seamless given the overlap in their roles.

What Comes Next

Marquez will assume leadership of the department following Benites's November 3 final day, becoming the 23rd chief in the department's history. The city has not announced additional details regarding a public swearing-in ceremony or community introduction events; residents can watch the City of Oxnard's official channels and Vida Newspaper for updates as the transition date approaches.

Benites, for his part, closes out more than three decades of service to the city — six of them at the top of a 371-employee department — at a moment when, by the city's own numbers, Oxnard is trending safer than it has been in years.