The City of San Ramon is pleased to announce the selection of Denton Carlson as San Ramon’s next Chief of Police. Carlson, who currently serves as Captain with the San Ramon Police Department, was selected following a nationwide search, which included a Community Member panel, a Subject Matter Expert panel, and an Internal Staff panel.
Carlson has been part of the San Ramon Police Department since it was founded in 2007, following five years serving the San Ramon community as a contract officer with the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Department. In 2015, he began developing the San Ramon Police Department’s newly-created Community Resource and Crime Prevention Division, implementing the Department’s social media outreach and public safety emergency communications platforms. In 2017, Carlson was promoted to Captain and assigned as the Operations Bureau Commander, where he oversaw the Department’s uniformed Patrol, Traffic, and Youth Services Divisions.
Carlson will be San Ramon’s fifth Chief of Police, and will replace former Chief Craig Stevens, who retired March 25, 2022 and has been serving as interim Chief during the hiring period.
“Denton has been serving this community for 20 years, and has helped shape several key aspects of the Department,” said Mayor David Hudson. “We are fortunate to have him as our next Chief of Police.”
Carlson will take the Oath of Office as part of the City Council Meeting on Tuesday, July 26 at San Ramon City Hall (7000 Bollinger Canyon Road). The meeting begins at 7 p.m. At this meeting, Chief Stevens will also be honored for his service. Members of the community are welcome and encouraged to attend.
Carlson’s career as a peace officer began in 1998 as a Deputy Sheriff with the Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff. He began serving the San Ramon community in 2002 through the Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff as a contract police officer for the City of San Ramon. In 2007, he joined the newly-formed San Ramon Police Department.
During his time as an Officer, Corporal, and Sergeant, he held the positions of Patrol Officer, Citizens Academy Coordinator, Detective, Tactical Team member and Team Leader, Law Enforcement Academy Recruit Training Officer, Patrol Supervisor, and Professional Standards and Training Supervisor.
In 2014, Carlson was promoted to Lieutenant and assigned as a manager within the Patrol Division. In 2015, he was given the opportunity to develop the San Ramon Police Department’s newly-created Community Resource and Crime Prevention Division. This included implementing the San Ramon Police Department’s Social Media Outreach and Public Safety Emergency Communications platforms.
In addition, Carlson served as the San Ramon Police Department’s Public Information Officer, Commander of the Multi-Agency Central County SWAT Team, and the Department’s direct liaison with the San Ramon Valley Unified School District. As a result of his efforts related to community engagement, social media, and public safety communication platforms, Carlson was chosen as the 2016 Employee of the Year by the San Ramon Chamber of Commerce.
In 2017, Carlson was promoted to Captain and assigned as the Operations Bureau Commander, where he oversaw the San Ramon Police Department’s uniformed Patrol, Traffic, and Youth Services Divisions.
Since 2019, he has been the Support Services Bureau Commander, and is responsible for the Investigations, Community Resource and Crime Prevention, Professional Standards and Training, Finance, Records, and Property and Evidence Divisions.
In addition to his responsibilities within the Police Department, for the past seven years, Carlson has been the Director of the City of San Ramon’s Office of Emergency Management.
Carlson holds a Master’s degree in Emergency Services Administration from California State University, Long Beach, and is a graduate of the California Peace Officer Standards and Training Command College, where he received the Dorothy Harris Award for Outstanding Academic Excellence.
He is also a graduate of the California Police Chiefs Association’s Executive Development Certificate Program, and the Executive Certificate Program in Transformative Leadership from California State University, East Bay.
He is also a member of the Faculty at the University of San Diego, where he teaches within the Master’s program in Law Enforcement and Public Safety Leadership.