Latest Headlines
- FDLE Charges McDavid Man With 14 Sex Offender Violations After Search Warrant
- Morning Showers, Cool Afternoon, Near Freezing Tonight
- Fire Destroys Mobile Home, Pickup In Enon
- Man Charged With Strangulation After Alleged Domestic Battery In Bratt
- Century Restaurant Says Third-Party Glitch Led To Erroneous Credit Card Charges
- Felon Sentenced On Federal Charges For 285 Grams Of Fentanyl, Gun Possession
- ECFR: Weekend Garage Fire in Cantonment Ruled Accidental
- Northview High Construction Academy Students Build Bat Houses For Town Of Century
- Postseason Ends For Tate And Northview Girls Basketball
- Reported ‘Possible Torpedo’ Recovered Near Escambia County Boat Launch; Here’s What It Really Was
Mayor Names Michigan Man As New Pensacola Police Chief
February 4, 2026
Mayor D.C. Reeves has chosen Eric Winstrom to lead the Pensacola Police Department, wrapping up a national search for the City of Pensacola’s next chief of police.
Winstrom, who has been the chief in Grand Rapids, Michigan, will start with PPD on March 2, pending approval of his hiring by Pensacola City Council.
“Choosing the right person to lead our police department is perhaps the most important decision I will make as your mayor,” Reeves said. “My focus was on finding the person who is the right fit for our community with the ability to lead PPD into the future. After much consideration and feedback from the community throughout this selection process, I look forward to working with Chief Winstrom to help write PPD’s next chapter.”
Kristin Brown, who has been serving as PPD’s Acting Chief, will serve as the Deputy Chief during the transition.
Winstrom began his law enforcement career with the Chicago Police Department in 2000, patrolling public housing complexes on the city’s South Side. In his 21 years in Chicago, he rose to the rank of commander, taking on multiple leadership roles and guiding tactical, investigative, and administrative teams through some of the department’s most challenging periods. He led the citywide child sex crimes unit at CPD, was captain of the 400-person 9th district in Bridgeport and commander of the Area 5 Detective Division, a 200-person team that covers the Northwest side and O’Hare Airport.
In 2022, Winstrom was named the Chief in Grand Rapids, Michigan’s second-largest city. In his tenure there, which he began as an external candidate, he focused on recruitment, training, community engagement, accountability and reducing crime, while managing day-to-day operations and high-profile police and public safety incidents that drew national attention.
When Winstrom arrived in Grand Rapids, the force was budgeted for 302 officers but had only 260 sworn officers. There are now 312 sworn officers on the force so that the department can better keep pace with the needs of the city.
“Trust is a key component not only of leadership within a police department but also between the department and the community it serves,” Winstrom said. “I’m well aware that trust is earned and there are no shortcuts in earning it. I am eager to get to work with the team already in place at PPD.
“Pensacola’s looking to strive to thrive in an ethical way, and in a way that lifts everyone up. Policing is an integral part of that effort. Everyone wants to be on a winning team. Pensacola is a winning team, and I am looking forward to being part of that.”
Winstrom has been a guest lecturer on police issues at numerous colleges and universities and a regular expert witness in police-related litigation.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Rutgers University, followed by a juris doctor degree from Brooklyn Law School. After law school, Winstrom worked at the NYPD Legal Affairs Bureau, where a police officer mentor told him that if he wanted to make substantive changes to the system, he should become an officer and help change it from the inside. It was advice that launched his career.
Winstrom and his wife — a former Chicago police officer — have been married for more than 15 years and have two children, ages 12 and 14.
NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Comments