Former Novato police Chief Joseph Kreins has been appointed as Vallejo's police chief, Vallejo City Manager Daniel Keen announced Thursday.

Kreins, 56, has been serving as interim chief in Vallejo since July 15 after Chief Robert Nichelini retired. His appointment as permanent police chief would be effective Saturday.

Keen said Kreins' strong leadership merits his appointment as chief. Keen said Kreins has tackled many challenges facing the Vallejo Police Department since July.

"This has been a particularly trying time for the department, during which we experienced three officer-involved shooting incidents, difficulties in maintaining minimum staffing levels on all shifts, and challenging relationships with some segments of the community," Keen said.

Keen said Kreins is committed to continuous improvement of Vallejo's law enforcement services.

Kreins was Novato's police chief for seven years and chief of the Sausalito Police Department for three-and-a-half years.

Prior to those positions, he was with the Concord Police Department for 17 years, rising to the rank of lieutenant/district commander.