Police Chief Chris Gallagher may be back at work before the end of the month.</p><p>After about eight weeks of being on leave Los Ba&#241;os' top cop is now taking some personal time, two city officials said.</p><p>In August Mayor Tommy Jones said Gallagher was on disability leave. Monday Jones indicated he expects him back within weeks. </p><p>"He's on vacation. I think it's about two or three weeks," Jones said.</p><p>Councilman Mike Villalta gave a similar response this week when asked about Gallagher's status.</p><p>"All I know is he's on vacation right now, that's the only thing I know at this point," Villalta said.</p><p>City Manager Steve Rath continues to provide few details regarding Gallagher's situation. </p><p>Monday afternoon the Enterprise asked Rath how long Gallagher would be on vacation. </p><p>Rath responded, "I can't report on that."</p><p>Last week Rath was also asked about Gallagher's status.</p><p>Rath said, "I cannot discuss it. I'm not answering any questions."</p><p>Two months ago he told the Enterprise Gallagher was placed on leave Aug. 1 and he could not get into further detail because it is a personnel matter.</p><p>Gallagher has been away from his job for 63 days (as of Thursday). He is the 2008-2009 president of the Los Ba&#241;os Rotary Club. Recently he sent an e-mail to Rotarians informing them that he would be on vacation hunting in Wyoming until Oct. 14. </p><p>City Council members other than Jones and Villalta indicated they knew very little about Gallagher's situation.</p><p>"I don't know the details and I think it's best I don't know," Councilwoman Anna Brooks said. "If I know the details I'm knee deep in the problem."</p><p>Brooks said she does not believe it is her place as a council member to get involved with what the city manager does with his staff. </p><p>Councilman Joe Sousa gave a similar response.</p><p>"I really don't know. I don't know a lot about it on purpose," he said. </p><p>Sousa indicated he did not want to be placed in a position where he involved himself in a matter that might come in front of the council at a later date. </p><p>Councilman Tom Faria said, "I don't know anything about what's going on with the chief. It's personnel so it'd be confidential anyway." </p><p>Since Gallagher's absence Cmdr. Dan Fitchie has served as acting police chief. If Gallagher does not come back to the force Los Ba&#241;os could find itself looking for a new chief within months. Fitchie is less than a year away from his planned retirement.</p><p>Gallagher was hired in September of 2006 to replace retired Chief Mark Knapp. Gallagher's former job was police chief of Susanville. He began his career in 1980 in Watsonville, where he was made a captain in 2000. He went on to become the police chief in Arcata in 2001 before taking the job in Susanville and eventually coming to Los Ba&#241;os.</p><p><i>Enterprise reporter Corey Pride can be reached by phone at (209)388-6563 or by e-mail at cpride@losbanosenterprise.com</i>