Peninsula City's Top Cop Announces Retirement

REDWOOD CITY, CA — Redwood City’s Top Cop is stepping down.

City officials on Friday announced On Police Chief Dan Mulholland’s plans to retire in May.

Mulholland first served the RCPD as a Community Service Officer in 1985 and rose through the ranks after being hired as an officer in 1987, culminating with his 2108 appointment as chief of police.

Mulholland earned his POST Executive Certification in 2021 – a prestigious achievement based upon years of service, education, training and rank advancement.

“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.

“Our delivery of public safety is best accomplished by working in partnership with the community we serve. That partnership is strengthened through trust, familiarity and connectivity. 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 in his role as chief prioritized several staff wellness initiatives including, reviving the once dormant Peer Support Team, reintroducing Police Chaplains to the organization as COVID restrictions eased, and launching a confidential, on-demand wellness app for use by staff, city officials said.

He was also instrumental in securing emotional health and wellness services for police personnel and their family members.

Mulholland emphasized organizational diversity, which he attributes to serving a diverse Redwood City community, city officials said.

He played a key role in the recent launch of the Community Wellness and Crisis Response Team – a pilot program based on a co-response model in which mental health clinicians respond to calls for service involving behavioral health crises.

Mulholland also played a key role in the launch of Purposeful, Action, Creation and Engagement (PACE) Team and the city’s first-ever Police Advisory Committee – a committee of community representatives formed to support partnership and transparency between the community and the Police Department.

He is the current President of the San Mateo County Police Chiefs and Sheriff Association and has served on the San Mateo County Narcotics Task Force Governing Board and San Mateo County Juvenile Justice Coordinating Council.

The city plans to start recruiting candidates to succeed Mulholland in January.

Community members are invited to provide input on characteristics needed in the next Police Chief by sending a message to policechiefrecruitment@redwoodcity.org.

Additional community engagement opportunities will be announced in January.