MESA, Ariz. — Mesa city leaders announced Monday interim police chief Ken Cost will take the role permanently.
Assistant Chief Ken Cost was named interim chief in November after embattled former chief Ramon Batista resigned.
"This is my agency. This is my home. And I look forward to my tenure here," Cost said.
Cost said Mesa is experiencing a very low crime rate, but he says they will continue to move forward and continue to train.
He says his priorities are hiring, recruiting and training.
Batista took the job in 2017. In that time, two incidents involving use of force prompted protests and calls for more accountability in the department.
Batista's tenure as chief also included the police union casting a no-confidence vote against him in June.