The City of Watsonville officially welcomed its new Fire and Police chiefs at the City Council meeting Tuesday.
With the chambers swarmed with family, friends and city staff, Brian Shab—with more than 27 years of public safety experience and fresh from his role as assistant chief with the San Jose Police Department—was introduced to the public.
His wife pinned his badge on him before he was sworn in as Watsonville’s new Police Chief.
He was followed by longtime firefighter Corey Schaefer, a 27-year veteran of the Watsonville Fire Department, whose wife also pinned his new badge on his uniform as he officially took the role as Fire Chief.
Schaefer joined the WFD in 1998 as a reserve firefighter and advanced up the ranks over nearly three decades. His career includes service as Firefighter II, paramedic/firefighter, fire captain, division chief and battalion chief.
“I feel extremely privileged to get to do this,” he said Tuesday. “Throughout my whole career, I have literally been excited about coming to work each day,” Schaefer said. “I still wake up with the same passion I’ve always had for this career every day in doing this.”
A native of East San Jose, Shab began his public service career with eight years in the military before joining the SJPD in 1998. During his tenure, he rose through the ranks and led multiple divisions. He holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice management from Union University and a master’s degree in law enforcement and public safety leadership from the University of San Diego.
“I feel like I just hit the lottery,” Shab said Tuesday evening. “I feel so very fortunate to be in this position to be able to support a department that is of such high caliber and the community as well. It has been fantastic to come here to such open arms.”
