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Bakersfield Police Chief Lyle Martin Named Kern's Chief District Attorney Investigator

Bakersfield Police Department Facebook
In a Facebook video, Bakersfield Police Chief Lyle Martin announced his retirement from the department. Later the same day, the Kern County District Attorney's office announced he would join their office as an investigator.

Kern County District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer has appointed Lyle Martin to be her Chief Investigator. Martin has been the Chief of Bakersfield Police since 2016, and has worked for the department for more than 30 years.

Martin announced his retirement as police chief on the department’s Facebook page in a video posted this morning. Assistant Police Chief Greg Terry will serve as interim police chief when Martin’s retirement takes effect December 28.

Under normal circumstances, Bakersfield City Manager Alan Tandy would be charged with appointing a new chief. However, Tandy is retiring in January. The city council has to appoint a new manager, and that person will appoint the new chief.

Accroding to Bakersfield's charter, the police chief has to be promoted from within the department.

Lyle Martin will officially become the Chief D.A. Investigator on December 30.

Laura Tsutsui was a reporter and producer for Valley Public Radio. She joined the station in 2017 as a news intern, and later worked as a production assistant and weekend host. Laura covered local issues ranging from politics to housing, and produced the weekly news program Valley Edition. She left the station in November 2020.