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Independent Voice

Chief: Laguna Was Not a Good Fit

Jun 11, 2021 12:00AM ● By Debra Dingman

Chief Robert Thompson said it was a stroke of serendipity that enabled him to return to Dixon and run the Dixon Police Department again. Photo by Debra Dingman

“I am extremely pleased to announce the return of Chief Thompson” 

DIXON, CA (MPG) - “If you make a wrong turn, you don't keep going,” said Dixon Police Chief Robert Thompson who is back at the helm after five months as Laguna Beach Chief of Police. “It was not a good fit and I chose to come back.”

The Chief left Dixon at the start of the New Year to take the Chief post in Laguna Beach, a small coastal community exactly the same size as Dixon. He was selected from a candidate pool of about 47 applicants, only 10 of which went on to a panel interview of professionals and city executives.

Thompson said his move to Laguna Beach came 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. It was supposed to work but Thompson soon discovered an “incompatible management style” and said that “things are so different down there.” The couple are working on a new plan that includes Dixon.

“This was not planned at all. It is serendipity,” said Thompson. “I’m proud that I’m here and can hit the ground running. We are in a period of exceptional growth.”

Brian Greip, representing the Laguna Beach Employees Executive Board, commended Thompson’s work:

“In his short time here, Chief Thompson recognized several issues and worked tirelessly to address them one by one,” the statement said. “Change is difficult, but sometimes it is necessary for the benefit of all. Under Chief Thompson’s leadership, employee morale has vastly improved, productivity and efficiency have increased dramatically, and we are on route to becoming the world-class police department that our citizens deserve.”

“Things have changed,” said Mayor Steve Bird. “He left his Dixon department in wonderful shape and from what he left behind, it’s even a better scenario for him coming back. He’s the maestro!”

Thompson was first hired in Dixon in March of 2017 after spending 15 years in the Sacramento Federal Bureau of Investigation after starting his police officer career with the St. Louis Police Department in 1994. He immediately rolled up his sleeves after Dixon had experienced a long absence after Chief Jon Cox.

He hired almost everyone in the department and the department “underwent an evolution from the ground up,” he said. Over the three and a half years he was here, there were protocols set, updated equipment purchased including body cams, and he improved all levels of technology and accountability.

“We embraced a whole series of initiatives and it was exhausting but we won the race,” he said in a DIV article about his departure. “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.”

It is no wonder that City Manager Jim Lindley, who was still in the throes of filling the very spot Thompson had vacated, happily announced the news that the Chief was being reinstated.

“I am extremely pleased to announce the return of Chief Thompson,” he said in a news release. “He is a true leader, deeply respected by our police officers and truly appreciated by our community.”

Dixon Mayor Bird agrees. “He was a wonderful Chief and I’ve worked with many Chiefs over the years,” he said. “I can tell you he’s the cream of the crop.”