Petaluma Police Department Announces 9 Promotions, Transfers

PETALUMA, CA — The Petaluma Police Department recently announced several promotions and transfers within the force.

The following nine promotions were effective May 16.

Garrett Glaviano Promoted From Sergeant To Lieutenant

Petaluma police Lt. Garrett Glaviano is a 16-year veteran of law enforcement who began his career with the Petaluma Police Department in 2005 and has served in a variety of assignments including patrol officer, field training officer, defensive tactics instructor, special weapons and tactics —SWAT—operator, and crime scene investigator. In 2017, Glaviano was promoted to sergeant where he supervised patrol teams, the SWAT team, the Field Training Program, the Defensive Tactics Team, and most recently served as the department’s administrative sergeant overseeing its hiring and recruitment efforts. Glaviano has a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from California Coast University. In March, Glaviano graduated from the 457th session of the Sherman Block POST Supervisory Leadership Institute, a program designed to stimulate personal growth, leadership, and ethical decision-making in California law enforcement front-line supervisors.

Nick McGowan Promoted From Sergeant To Lieutenant

Petaluma police Lt. Nick McGowan is an 18-year veteran of law enforcement who began his career in 2003 as a police officer for the Town of San Anselmo. He joined the Petaluma Police Department in July 2006 where he served as a patrol officer, field training officer, gang officer, defensive tactics instructor, special weapons and tactics —SWAT — operator, detective, and a member of the San Francisco Electronic Crimes Task Force. In 2017, McGowan was promoted to sergeant where he supervised patrol teams, the Gang Enforcement Team, the SWAT Team, the Peer Support Team, the Defensive Tactics Team and the Traffic Team. McGowan has a bachelor's degree in political science from Sonoma State University and a master’s degree in cybersecurity studies from American Military University. In March, McGowan graduated from the 455th Session of the Sherman Block POST Supervisory Leadership Institute.

Matthew Parnow Promoted From Detective To Sergeant

Petaluma police Sgt. Matthew Parnow is a 13-year veteran of law enforcement who began his career with the Petaluma Police Department in 2008 and has served in a variety of assignments including patrol officer, field training officer, gang officer, terrorism liaison officer, crime scene investigator and detective. Parnow has a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Sacramento State University and has demonstrated his leadership while serving as president of the Peace Officers Association of Petaluma.

Ryan DeBaeke Promoted From Senior Officer To Sergeant

Petaluma police Sgt. Ryan DeBaeke is a 17-year veteran of law enforcement who began his career with the Seaside Police Department, then joined the Petaluma Police Department in 2007. DeBaeke has served in a variety of assignments including patrol officer, field training officer and hostage negotiator. He also served as homeless outreach services officer and was responsible for the development and implementation of the department's Homeless Outreach Services Team —HOST — in 2015.

Sgt. Pat Gerke Selected As Administrative Sergeant

Petaluma police Sgt. Pat Gerke was selected for the position of administrative sergeant. He transferred from Patrol to the Support Services Division as the administrative sergeant, filling the vacancy created by the promotion of Lt. Glaviano. Gerke joined the Department in 1997 and has served in a variety of assignments including patrol officer, field training officer, detective and Peer Support. He was selected as the Officer of the Year in 2018. Gerke was promoted to the rank of sergeant in 2019 and assigned to the Patrol Division. Gerke has a bachelor's degree in political science from Sonoma State University.

Sgt. Walt Spiller Selected To Lead Traffic Team

Petaluma police Sgt. Walt Spiller was selected to lead the Traffic Team. He transferred from Patrol Division to the Traffic Team as the traffic sergeant, filling the vacancy created by the promotion of Lt. McGowan. Spiller joined the Petaluma Police Department in 1999 and has served in a variety of assignments including patrol officer, field training officer, traffic motorcycle officer, SWAT operator, firearms instructor and detective. He was selected as the Officer of the Year in 2009. He was promoted to the rank of sergeant in 2020 and assigned to the Patrol Division. Spiller has an associate’s degree in administration of justice from Sierra College.

Zilverio "Zeus" Rivera Promoted From Field Training Officer To Detective

Petaluma police Detective Zilverio "Zeus" Rivera was selected to join the Investigations Team and transferred from Patrol to Investigations to serve as a detective, filling the vacancy created by the promotion of Detective Parnow to sergeant. Rivera joined the Petaluma Police Department in 2007 and has served in a variety of assignments including patrol officer, field training officer, gang enforcement officer, DARE instructor, hostage negotiator, and homeless outreach services officer. He was selected as the Petaluma Police Officer of the Year for 2020. Rivera has a bachelor's degree in sociology from Sonoma State University.

Nick Camilleri, Garrett Sholin Selected As Traffic Motorcycle Officers

Petaluma police Officer Nick Camilleri and Petaluma police Officer Garrett Sholin were selected to join the Traffic Team as traffic motorcycle officers. Camilleri joined the Petaluma Police Department in 2018 and Sholin joined the Petaluma Police Department in 2017.