Shawny Williams

Shawny Williams is the first African American police chief of the city of Vallejo, California.^[1] In September, 2019 Williams was tapped as the next police chief after Chief Andrew Bidou stepped down. He was sworn in as the police chief in November 2019.^[2][3] He has pledged to move the police department in a new direction and to stay transparent and accountable.^[4] By 2020, after a year as police chief, he had instituted a number of reforms including banning choke holds, instituting a mandatory body-worn camera and a clear de-escalation protocol.^[4] In September 2020 he announced what he called operation PEACE which is a community program to engage residents more to help solve crimes.^[4]

In July 2022, Williams received an official vote of no confidence from the Vallejo Police Officers’ Association.^[5]

In November 2022, Williams resigned his position and was paid $408,000 for doing so.^[6]

It has been claimed that Williams lied under oath (perjury) during his time as Chief of Police. ^[7] If investigated and found to be true, this would decertify Williams by POST and preclude him from being employed by another police agency in California under SB2^[8]

Prior to becoming the police chief, Williams was with the San Jose Police Department for 26 years and was most recently the head of their investigations division.^[9]

Williams has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Simpson University and a Master of Arts degree from Fort Hays State University in Organizational Leadership. He graduated from the FBI National Academy in 2012.^[10] Williams speaks Spanish.^[2]