Police Chief Thompson Leaving; Offers Advice for Next One
Nov 18, 2020 12:00AM ● By Debra Dingman
Chief Robert Thompson will be leaving Dixon for Southern California at the end of this year. Photo by Debra Dingman
DIXON, CA (MPG) - Dixon Police Chief Robert Thompson will be leaving for his new post as Chief of Police for Laguna Beach, a small coastal community exactly the same size as Dixon, at the start of the new year. He cited the decision was made when faced with several complications in the family schedule including a 400-mile commute for his wife, college in southern California for their 19-year-old daughter, and childcare for their 5-year-old son. He swears he is leaving Dixon in good hands and is clear his move has nothing to do with politics but more of pandemic issues. With their favorite babysitter, their college-bound daughter going to campus, and his wife's company in Irvine not too thrilled with a 400-mile commute using up a travel budget, life had to change for them.
"Family first," he said simply as we sat in an organized Chief's office decorated with a moving slide show of his family and a wall of framed medals. "Childcare has been an issue," he said, reminding that the 19-year-old and the 5-year-old are with the same wife he said with a bit of humor. His wife has travelled for him to have his jobs and made sacrifices for his jobs so he sees it as his "turn to sacrifice" for her. She will be within a few short miles to her office once they relocate.
He believes most of the issues that faced Dixon when he got here in March of 2017 including a department that was understaffed and under-funded are now "fixed."
"I didn't believe we had to have the highest paying [police department] but we couldn't be the lowest," he said noting that he had the full backing of the council to make the Dixon Police Department the best in the county--a request that came from City Manager Jim Lindley.
"I've hired almost everyone here and the department underwent an evolution from the ground up," he said. There were protocols set, updated equipment purchased including body cams, improved all levels of technology, and accountability--explaining that there was "too much time between Chief Jon Cox and me....way too long."
"We embraced a whole series of initiatives and it was exhausting but we won the race," he said. "There is not a thing we did not touch. We have systems in place for tracing, built the fence, brought in a resource school officer, a canine patrol, created a completely paperless reporting system, and brought in a motorcycle. I'm very confident that we are well-positioned for the future. We have the right people in the right places."
Some of his other achievements he discussed included improved outreach communications with the public--noting that their Facebook page was 2,000 when he first came and now it is at 10,000 but he also said he wished they had another 'vehicle' to use as he detests the "caustic and toxic environment" of that social media platform and why the department has set their site up with specific guidelines that it is "not a forum."
"The officers are better trained, equipped, motivated, and there are more of them discovering crime versus reacting to it," he added. "The crime was probably here all along but now we are finding it and making arrests.
He offered advice to the incoming Chief--whoever that will be.
"First, [the community] has to decide what they want Dixon to be. Dixon is growing rapidly and the Council is going to have to make some decisions. We enjoy an exceptionally low violent crime rate and this is a very safe community," he said. The City has to find the right person and that right person just needs to come in and keep it all going, he said.
He sees Dixon as having basically two groups of people.
"There are a number of people who still think Dixon is a town with an 8,000 population," he said. "The other group lives here and grocery shops here. They feel it is a safe place for the schools and parks and for their children. But, they don't care. They really don't care. They are not wrapped up in old grudges and fights." So his second bit of advice was to get heavily involved in Dixon.
"Number one is to immediately ingratiate yourself into the community. There is no group too small to talk to. And, to listen to what the people want--not to dictate what they want," he said. Number two is to be present.
"I went to the Grillin' and Chillin', the 4th of July, the high school graduation, the Tree Lighting, and everything I could. It is important to be at every single thing to have conversations with people and hear them. Their input matters," he said.
"We want to thank Chief Thompson for his diligence and hard work," said City Manager Jim Lindley, adding that the Chief's replacement will "have some very large shoes to fill."