Chief Norris
David Norris joined the Menlo Park team on April 12, 2021. Chief Norris came here from the San Mateo Police Department, where he served since 1993, after working his way up the ranks from parking enforcement all the way to police captain. Over his last two years with San Mateo PD, Norris also served periods as acting and interim police chief.
During his tenure in San Mateo, Norris served in many capacities, managing high-profile situations and cases, training and coaching many employees and promotional candidates, and promoting transparency, support and service of community members. His work also involved many years supporting prevention and early intervention with youth and building relationships with families and community stakeholders. Norris was also one of the architects of San Mateo’s highly-praised and comprehensive youth services unit.
Norris formed the department’s first community and media relations unit in 2011, and over subsequent years supported and developed San Mateo PD’s leading-edge community engagement strategy. He was a co-founder of the Bay Area Law Enforcement Social Media Group and presented to regional, state and national events.
During his first two years as police chief, Norris secured additional police employees to replenish significant personnel cuts in 2020, engaged with the public and an Ad Hoc Council Subcommittee to examine contemporary policing issues, initiated a pilot test with fully electric police vehicles, backed the department’s “Behind the Badge” initiative to give the public an inside look at our personnel, and supported movement to the latest in technology for non-lethal intervention devices and police radio equipment. Chief Norris also drove the installment of near real-time community feedback on officer and dispatcher performance on calls for service, and a modernization of the compliment/complaint process through the city website.
Chief Norris currently serves on the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Police Professional Standards, Ethics and Image Committee (PPSEI), an international team of subject matter experts dedicated to setting national standards for recruiting, hiring, and training the best police officer candidates, establishing industry standards for accountability, and assuring that the work police agencies are doing to advance and improve the profession is demonstrated to the public. Additionally, he is a contributing member of the American Society of Evidence-Based Policing. Locally, Chief Norris is a Director on the Boards of the 100 Club of San Mateo County and the Peninsula Conflict Resolution Center.
Norris is a graduate of the CA Commission of Peace Officer Standards and Testing (POST) Command College. He holds a master's degree in law enforcement and public safety leadership from the University of San Diego, and a bachelor's degree in human performance from St. Mary's College (CA).