A number of Ceres Police Department promotions were celebrated during a Thursday ceremony held at the Ceres Community Center, which included the administering of oaths by Chief of Police Rick Collins.
Promoted were:
• Chris Perry from lieutenant to captain last January;
• Keith Griebel who was elevated from sergeant to lieutenant;
• Trenton Johnson who was a sergeant before his promotion to lieutenant;
• Travis Hudson, Jeffery Godfrey, Julio Amador and Jonathan Blount, all promoted to the rank of sergeant.
• Tammie Johnson, who is now a Dispatch Supervisor.
The ceremony was attended by family members of the officers, as well as Stanislaus County Superior Court Judge Alan Cassidy and Stanislaus County Supervisor Vito Chiesa.
Chief Collins said the seven officers standing before the audience exemplified leadership.
“They have titles now and they are going to have people coming to them looking for answers and direction,” said Collins. “This is what they asked for and every bone in my body is confident that they will do an excellent job in their new roles. It’s going to be challenging, it’s going to be difficult and they’re going to go home and say, what the heck did I get myself into? But I can tell you that the roles you’re getting ready to take – and hopefully you move forward – is very rewarding. It’s rewarding because you’re providing a service to the community that you are sworn to protect and serve, and it’s also rewarding to see the people that are under your command grow both professionally and personally.
“So don’t take this opportunity for granted. Give it everything you have. Make the people that are here to see you tonight as proud as you can.”
Chris Perry
Now a Ceres Police Department captain, Perry came to the agency in 1992 when he became a Ceres police explorer. He worked for a short period for Atwater Police before being hired by CPD in May, 1997.
As a patrol officer, Perry worked in the Street Crimes Unit and served as a Field Training Officer. In 2001 he was assigned to the Stanislaus Drug Enforcement Agency as a narcotics detective.
In 2006, Perry was promoted to sergeant and supervised the patrol division, the canine unit and the dispatch center. In 2012 he took on the role of traffic sergeant and worked motor patrol, and supervised the Motor Unit and Major Accident Investigation Team.
In 2016 Perry became a lieutenant in charge of investigations, records and property and evidence. He simultaneously developed the department’s first Air Unit and is a certified drone pilot with the FAA.
Perry earned bachelors and master’s degrees in Criminal Justice, and Community Solutions, and a Management Certification from POST. He is a graduate of the Sherman Block Leadership Institute, POST Executive Development, FBI LEEDA and Drucker Executive Leadership Institute at Claremont Graduate University.
Chris and wife of 23 years Julie, have two children, Morgan, 20 and Jackson, 17. Two of his brothers are former Ceres Police officers.
Keith Griebel
Keith Griebel was promoted to lieutenant on January 8, and now oversees all department training, recruitment and retention, records, dispatch, the range and the public relations team.
Griebel joined CPD as a police explorer in 1994. He worked as a dispatcher for 18 months before being hired as a fulltime sworn officer in 1998. While working patrol, Gribel was assigned as a field training officer and a SWAT member, a position held for 21 years. He worked in investigations for five years before his promotion to sergeant. Griebel is also one of Ceres Police Department’s firearms instructors.
As a patrol watch commander, he oversaw scheduling, VIPS, explorer and chaplain programs for five years before moving to the administrative sergeant position for two years where he was in charge of records, PR, the school resource officers and Internal Affairs.
He is currently working on a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice.
Keith and wife Casie have three children, Alissa, Reese and Kaylie, and a new grandson, Everett.
Keith’s favorite pastimes include golfing, fishing, reading and spending time with family and friends.
Son Reese pinned on his dad’s badge, as wife Casie, mother Carolyn, and in-laws, Patty and Jeff Malloy, and Jerry and Janice Curtis watched on.
Trenton Johnson
Johnson was promoted to lieutenant on Jan. 8 and now oversees detectives, code enforcement, SWAT, the drone and crisis negotiation teams, property and evidence and the armory.
Known as “T.J.,” Johnson started as an explorer in 1993 and became a reserve officer in January, 1998. By that August he was a fulltime sworn officer. He has since served as a detective, SWAT member (for 20 years) and field training officer. After he was promoted to sergeant on June 29, 2008, Johnson worked as a patrol watch commander, Street Crimes Unit sergeant and detective sergeant.
Johnson has several family members in law enforcement, including stepdaughter Mikayla, who is a Merced County Sheriff’s deputy; Mikayla’s fiancé Kevin Roseen who is a Ceres Police officer; and cousin Pete Gavitte who is a CHP sergeant and helicopter pilot.
Johnson is married to Tammie Johnson, a Ceres Police dispatch supervisor. Mikayla and his daughter, Faith pinned on his lieutenant’s badge.
During his time off, Johnson likes to hit the gym or run. He loves hosting parties and events at his ranch in Ceres.
Travis Hudson
Hudson was promoted to lieutenant on April 2, overseeing patrol, the field training officer (FTO) program, traffic, reserve officers, community policing, fleet, and evaluation process.
Travis started with CPD in March, 2005. Before going into law enforcement, Travis spent 10 years in the Air Force’s Airborne Surveillance.
While a patrol officer, Hudson was a range master, Street Crimes detective and federally sworn Gang Task Force investigator. He became sergeant in 2016 and worked as a patrol watch commander before moving to traffic sergeant. He also was a member of SWAT team for 18 years where he was an operator, primary “breacher” certified in explosive breaching, served as the SWAT assistant team leader and team leader.
Hudson has been a gang awareness presenter at community events and a member of the Stanislaus County Opioid Coalition. He has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice management.
He has known his wife, Krista, since high school. They have three children, Lucas, 14, Sawyer, 12 and Siena, 5.
Hudson enjoys playing golf and softball, working out, running half marathons, coaching the kids’ baseball teams and interpretive dance.
Attending the ceremony were his wife, children, mother Dee Shuemake, and his Gold Star “family”: Richard, Kathy, Shawn and Kristy Wood, as well as other family and friends.
Jeffery Godfrey
Godfrey was promoted to sergeant on Jan. 8, and is in charge of scheduling, and the chaplaincy, volunteers and explorers programs. He is also a member of the crisis negotiation team.
Godfrey started his law enforcement career in 1998 with Hughson Police Department and moved to the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department two years later where he was FTO, SWAT operator, and deputy and detective/agent assigned to the Stanislaus Drug Enforcement Agency.
In 2012 Godfrey was hired as a sergeant with the UC Merced Police Department. He left in 2020 to join Ceres Police.
Godfrey holds a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice and a master’s in Organizational Leadership.
Godfrey and wife Patty have three children, Tyler, Amy and Joei.
In his spare time, Godfrey enjoys spending time with his family and volunteering with the Special Olympics of Northern California where he is an executive committee member.
Patty was designated to pin on her husband’s sergeant’s badge.
Julio Amador
Julio Amador, who has been with Ceres Police Department since August 2004, was promoted to sergeant.
During his career with CPD he has been a canine handler and canine unit supervisor, instructor in impact weapons and Taser use, an assistant team leader with the crisis negotiation team, a detective with
Crimes against Children and Sexual Assaults, member of the Sacramento Valley High-Tech Task Force and a peer support member.
He is one of the founding members of the annual “Beards for Kids” toy drive and “Shop with a Cop” event.
He and wife Pakeezah have two children, Shaliya, 15 and Faiz, 12.
Together they enjoy vacationing, visiting theme parks, going to “escape rooms,” geocaching and spending time with family and friends.
Amador enjoys working out, mountain biking, attending concerts and sporting events and occasionally playing Texas Hold’Em Poker.
Wife Pakeezah pinned on his sergeant’s badge while their children, his parents, Nati and Jose, brother Jose Jr. and his sister Marlene watched.
Jonathan Blount
A new sergeant, Blount came to Ceres Police in March 2019 after working for Escalon Police and the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department. He previously worked for AMR ambulance before deciding to go into law enforcement in 2006.
He has been an FTO, first aid instructor, and a defensive tactics and range instructor. With the SWAT team he has served as an operator, medic, and assistant team leader and sniper team leader.
Blount had attended paramedic school and later became a Tactical Paramedic with Ceres SWAT in 2010.
Blount enjoys camping, fishing and spending time at the lake with his family. He recently started golfing.
Jon and wife Jessica have two children, Kaili, 12, and Beau, 10 months old. They pinned on his sergeant’s badge.
He was joined by his wife and children and brothers Josh and Cohen.
Tammie Johnson
Tammie Johnson was promoted to Dispatch Supervisor on August 20.
She started with the Ceres Police Department in 2006 as a reserve dispatcher and quickly went up through the ranks to a Dispatcher II and Senior Dispatcher.
During her 17 years with CPD she has been a CTO (Communications Training Officer), RIMS System Administrator, Custodian of Records and Ceres SWAT Association event planner.
She is married to Ceres Police Lt. Trenton Johnson. She has a daughter, Mikayla, who is a Merced County Correctional Officer and is engaged to Ceres Police canine Officer Kevin Roseen. Tammie also has a stepdaughter, Faith.
Tammie enjoys tending to her flower gardens, hosting parties and events for friends and family, crafts, spending time with family and friends and traveling.
Among those attending the promotion ceremony were her daughter and future son-in-law, stepdaughter, parents, stepmother, brother, sister-in-law, cousins and an aunt and uncle.
