San Luis Obispo appoints Interim Police Chief

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. - The City of San Luis Obispo announced the appointment of Captain Jeff Smith as the city’s Interim Police Chief while a national recruitment for Police Chief is underway.

The city said Smith has been in policing since 2001 and joined SLOPD in 2003.  Smith was promoted to Police Captain in 2016 and has overseen Police Operations and Administration.

During his time as Captain at the police department, Smith worked with the county to secure funding for a fulltime social worker that is assigned to the Police Department’s Community Action Team, served on the Homeless Services Oversight Committee (HSOC) Board and is currently the chair of a Homeless Encampment Committee through HSOC.

Prior to his career in policing, Smith served in the United States Coast Guard Reserve, was an educator and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and a Master’s in Education.

“I have complete confidence in Interim Chief Smith’s abilities to lead the Department during these uncertain times.  He is a balanced and compassionate leader with breadth and depth of knowledge and commitment to serve community” stated City Manager Johnson.   Smith expressed his willingness to serve in this Interim role stating, “I am passionate about serving our community and am committed to providing the Department with continuity.”

San Luis Obispo plans to launch the national recruitment for its next Police Chief in mid to late October.

The city said it will be releasing an online survey so that the community can share the qualities they want in the next Police Chief.

For updates, you can visit the city's website at www.slocity.org.