The Salinas Police Department would like to announce the promotion of Commander Luis Bravo to the position of Assistant Chief of Police.

Assistant Chief Bravo has been with the department for 25 years and we are excited for him to bring that experience and leadership into his new role. 

Luis Bravo was born in Mexico, grew up in Monterey County, and has dedicated his career to serving his community.

Luis’s began his law enforcement career as a reserve officer with the Gonzales Police Department in 1994. He attended the South Bay Regional Training Consortium Police Academy (SB15) in 1997.

In 2000, he lateraled to the Salinas Police Department, where took on various roles such as the Violence Suppression Unit, as a Detective, as a member of the SWAT team, and as part of a DOJ Narcotics Task Force.

In 2016, Luis was promoted to the rank of Sergeant, where he worked in patrol and the Violence Suppression Task Force, eventually becoming the Internal Affairs Sergeant.

In 2022, he advanced to the role of Acting Commander, serving as a Watch Commander in Patrol Operations. He was promoted to Commander in 2023 and is currently the Administrative Commander, overseeing Personnel and Training, the Hostage Negotiation Team, the Records Division, the Drone Unit, and the Reserve Officer Program.

In December, 2024, Commander Bravo was named Acting Assistant Chief, and was promoted to Assistant Chief on July 7, 2025.

Luis holds a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice Management from Union University and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Faulkner University.