Carlos Rojas, who has served as the city’s interim chief for the past two years, was sworn in as Santa Ana’s new police chief Tuesday, making him the first Latino to hold the post.

“This city, it’s truly a rebirth. It’s a new day in the city of Santa Ana to have our first Latino police chief,” said Councilwoman Michele Martinez.

“We are 78 percent Latino in the city of Santa Ana, and it is certainly really good when we have staff in city government that represents its community,” she said. “Diversity is key and truly today you see that here.”

Rojas received numerous rounds of applause from the crowd, which included officials from the Santa Ana Police Department, Orange County Sheriff’s Department, Anaheim Police Department, Orange County Fire Authority as well as Los Angeles law enforcement officials. Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens, Anaheim Police Chief Raul Quezada and Irvine Police Chief David Maggard Jr. were among those present.

Rojas thanked his family, who stood by his side as he was sworn in and acknowledged the community in the crowd, including immigrant-rights activists holding signs that urged the city to put a halt to its contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement to house detainees at the city jail.

“I think the beauty of the city of Santa Ana is that we can come together and often times we may not agree, but I think we do a pretty good job at working through issues,” Rojas said.

“As public servants, we always have to strive to do better. I think I would not be here in this condition to take this role of leadership without the support of all of you in here,” Rojas added.

In his post, Rojas – the city’s 20th chief of police – will continue to oversee an agency, with 580 personnel, that in fiscal year 2014-15 will have an annual budget of $106.8 million. He will receive a salary of $224,376 per year, according to Tanya Lyon, the city’s spokeswoman.

A 24-year-veteran, Rojas rose through the ranks of the Santa Ana Police Department, beginning as a patrol officer in 1990 during a time that Mayor Miguel Pulido described as “a different city.”

“If you want to talk about a high crime rate and what we had, that’s the city that he encountered. I believe under the leadership of Chief (Paul) Walters and the tremendous turnaround that began in the ’90s, today, we are one of the safest cities in the country, and I have all the confidence in the world that under the leadership of Chief Rojas that trend is going to continue,” said Pulido.

Rojas has served as interim chief of police since March 2012 and also served as interim city manager before the city hired David Cavazos for the post.

“This is a tremendous department. I believe the Santa Ana Police Department is second to none. … This department works well with everybody, and it works well because of folks like Chief Rojas,” Pulido added.

Contact the writer: amolina@ocregister.com