DANA POINT, Ca. (April 14, 2025): Captain Frank Gonzalez has been selected as the new Chief of Dana Point Police Services. He will begin his new assignment on Friday, April 18.
“Being selected as the Dana Point Chief of Police Services is both an honor and a great responsibility,” Captain Gonzalez said. “I look forward to working alongside an exceptional team and serving an engaged community where safety is a shared priority.”
Captain Gonzalez joined the Sheriff’s Department in 2006 and served in Custody Operations before working patrol in North Operations. In 2016, Captain Gonzalez was assigned to the Tactical Training Center, where he instructed personnel on various topics including driving tactics, less-lethal tactics and active shooter response. That same year, he joined the Crisis Negotiations Team (CNT) as an ancillary assignment, providing critical support during dynamic incidents, including high-risk warrant services and barricaded suspect calls.
Captain Gonzalez was promoted to sergeant in 2019 and was assigned to the Intake Release Center, where he worked in the custody Behavioral Health Bureau to provide services in collaboration with the OC Healthcare Agency to incarcerated persons with mental health or substance use disorders.
Captain Gonzalez was then assigned as a patrol sergeant for North Operations and, in 2020 as an ancillary duty, was selected to lead CNT. He became the Behavioral Health Bureau sergeant in 2022, leading the operational team tasked with proactively engaging those experiencing homelessness and individuals with mental health needs.
Captain Gonzalez was selected as the Sheriff’s Department’s Public Information Officer in 2023, where he served as the liaison to the media and spokesperson for the agency.
He was promoted to lieutenant in 2024 and was assigned to the James A. Musick Facility. Most recently, he served as Captain for Court Operations, overseeing daily public safety services for the county’s justice centers.
He has a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice Management and also serves as a Sheriff’s Department instructor for courses including crisis intervention, crisis negotiations and effective law enforcement communications.
Captain Gonzalez’s predecessor, Captain Todd Hylton, was selected to lead the Real-Time Operations Center, which uses a wide range of technologies to effectively and safely respond to incidents.
