Redwood City Police Chief Dan Mulholland has announced his retirement after nearly 40 years with the department.
“The men and women of the Redwood City Police Department are like family to me. It is because of them that I had the honor of a lifetime—to serve as Chief. Working alongside them on a daily basis for all of these years has been a privilege,” Mulholland said in a statement. “The personal connections I have made with this community, always striving to hear first-hand from residents on how to better serve Redwood City, have been tremendously valuable.”
Mulholland joined the Redwood City Police Department as a community service officer in 1985 before being hired as a police officer in 1987 and appointed chief of police in 2018. He earned his POST Professional Peace Officer Certificate in 2021.
As Chief, Mulholland worked on several staff wellness initiatives, including reviving a Peer Support Team and launching a wellness app for staff. He helped launch the Community Wellness and Crisis Response Team, pilot program that pairs a mental health professional with local law enforcement to better de-escalate emergency calls and provide appropriate care for non-violent people in crisis; the Purposeful, Action, Creation and Engagement (PACE) Team to foster positive relationships between community leaders, law enforcement and youth from the Bike Life movement; and the city’s first-ever Police Advisory Committee to support partnership and transparency between the community and the Police Department.
“Chief Mulholland has led the Redwood City Police Department with integrity and skill during a time of unprecedented challenges,” said City Manager Melissa Stevenson Diaz. “I am grateful for his unwavering commitment and dedication to supporting community and employee safety, and continually improving our services to the community.”
The city will begin an open recruitment process in January 2023, with the goal of appointing a new police chief prior to Mulholland’s official retirement in May.
Community members are invited to provide input on the next police chief by sending a message to policechiefrecruitment@
