SRJC District Police Chief Christopher Wilkinson has resigned three weeks after being put under paid formal administrative leave, and within several days the District Police has now found a new interim chief.

An e-mail sent to SRJC faculty and staff by Vice President of Business Services Doug Roberts after Wilkinson’s Feb. 13 resignation stated that SRJC was in the process of finding another person to fill the position of district chief of police and that “requests for police services should be directed to either our sergeants, Bill Stinson and/or Dave Willat, or to me [Roberts].”

According to a source within the SRJC District Police, an e-mail sent to members of the District Police earlier today announced that they have a new interim chief of police: Joseph Palla.

Palla is currently a Cloverdale city councilmember and served as a member of SRJC’s Board of Trustees from 1992 to 1994 and again during 2004 to 2006. He retired after serving a 30-year career in law enforcement, in which he also served as chief of police in Cloverdale, Healdsburg and San Bruno.

Wilkinson’s paid administrative leave and subsequent resignation came after several members of SRJC’s police department approached top school officials with grievances about his performance as chief of police, demanding administrative action regarding the chief.