Commander Dixon
In January 1990, at the age of 16, Commander William A. Dixon began his 30 year career with the Menlo Park Police Department as a Police Explorer. From those early days, Commander Dixon advanced to the position of Records Officer, City Service Officer, Police Officer, Field Training Officer, Detective, Sergeant, Administrative Sergeant, Patrol Operations Commander, and finally into his current position as Special Operations Commander.
In 2003, Commander Dixon was selected as one of the first members of the Menlo Park Police Department’s newly formed Narcotics Enforcement Team. Beyond becoming qualified as a court recognized expert in the area of narcotics sales and use, Commander Dixon was the first Menlo Park Police Officer to be certified by the International Association of Chiefs of Police as a Drug Recognition Expert.
Promoted to Sergeant in February 2007, Commander Dixon served as a field supervisor for several years before being selected to become the police department’s Administrative Sergeant. In this capacity he conducted internal investigations for allegations of misconduct, acted as project manager for the department wide implementation of large-scale technology-related advancements, and was responsible for the patrol vehicle fleet.
In 2014, Commander Dixon was promoted to Patrol Operations Commander where he became an advocate for increasing government and police transparency through the White House Police Data Initiative and in the summer 2016 oversaw the launch of the police department’s open data portal.
After being assigned to Special Operations Commander in 2017, Commander Dixon focused heavily on creating a healthy culture and team dynamic. Determined to create a work environment where successful problem-solving could be achieved through open communication and where employees are comfortable holding each other accountable, Commander Dixon began facilitating regular Socratic method style discussions on an array of law enforcement related topics. Commander Dixon’s communication methods have now been widely embraced among Special Operations staff members and beyond.
In every role William brings with him his career-long passion for engaging members of the community and increasing mentorship within the police department. Having once served as a field training officer and having been selected as a Police Academy Recruit Training Officer, where he was able to share his experiences with new police recruits throughout San Mateo County, Commander Dixon is keenly aware of the importance of developing a wide base of knowledge when embarking on a career as a police officer.
Commander Dixon holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Services and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Notre Dame de Namur University. He is a graduate of the Sherman Block Supervisory Leadership Institute.
In addition to his law enforcement career, he is proud to have served as a Staff Sergeant in the United States Marine Corps with the Longshoreman Platoons of 1st Beach & Terminal Operations (BTO) Co., 4th Landing Support Battalion, in both Concord and San Jose, CA. He served in several billets with BTO Company and participated in a variety of logistics-related exercises during his tenure with the company to include railhead retrograde operations, Helicopter Support Team (HST) operations, and Maritime Propositioning Ship backloads in active ports of Blount Island, Florida, Pohang, Republic of Korea and Gladstone, Australia.
In his free time William enjoys French cooking, reading and spending time with his fiancé, their children, grandchildren and their plethora of adopted animals.