Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Trevor Thron, right, will succeed the retiring Roy Rice as Clovis' police chief, effective March 1.
A longtime local law officer has been named Clovis’ new police chief, effective March 1.
Trevor Thron, a 2002 graduate of Portales High School, will assume the duties when Chief Roy Rice retires at the end of February.
Rice, 70, announced his plans to retire early this month. He’s been the city’s police chief since Feb. 28, 2022.
“With a career in law enforcement spanning more than 17 years, Deputy Chief Thron has devoted his career to ensuring public safety in the City of Clovis,” the city announced in a news release late Friday afternoon.
“His operational experience includes three years as the commander of the department’s SWAT team, during which he also served for seven years as a sniper on the team. He spent thirteen years as a crime scene investigator with the Major Crimes Unit, a multi-jurisdictional team handling high-profile cases across Roosevelt and Curry Counties. Additionally, Thron served as a field training officer, a detective, and an agent with the Region V Drug Task Force.”
Clovis City Manager Justin Howalt said he made the decision to hire Thron without accepting applications.
"I considered the direction the Clovis Police Department has been heading over the last several years and recognize that Deputy Chief Thron has played an integral role in that success," Howalt said.
"I feel that his talents and leadership can continue this and therefore did not believe it was necessary to look outside of the organization to fill the position. I look forward to working with him to continue to build upon those successes for our community."
Thron’s annual salary will be $102,170, Howalt said.
Thron, 40, has a bachelor’s degree with concentrations in criminal Justice and agriculture, and is a graduate of the FBI-LEEDA Leadership Institute Trilogy, the news release stated.
He has focused on “exploring crime prevention strategies, officer recruitment and retention initiatives, and enhancing community engagement and transparency to strengthen trust between law enforcement and our community,” the release stated.
Thron stated in the release that he is “committed to continuing to foster collaboration with city leaders, state agencies, and community organizations. My vision is to enhance public trust, reduce the fear and occurrence of crime, and ensure Clovis remains a safe and thriving community for current residents and future generations.”
He was promoted to deputy chief in January 2023.
