Veteran law enforcement officer Nishant Joshi was sworn in June 7 as the city of Alameda, Californiaâs new police chief. Joshi, who had previously served with the Oakland, California, police department for more than 23 years, is the first U.S.-born Indian American police chief in California. Manjit Sappal, the police chief in Martinez, California, was born in England. In an interview with India-West on the eve of his first day on the job, Joshi credited Sappal as inspiring him to serve in law enforcement. âMy parents wanted me to be a doctor or lawyer, but policing fascinated me,â he said.