Walnut Creek Police Chief Jamie Knox Takes Oath Of Office

WALNUT CREEK, CA —New Walnut Creek Police Chief Jamie Knox took the formal oath of office Tuesday at a ceremony at the Lesher Center for the Arts. Knox becomes the city's 15th chief of police.

In the ceremony, City Manager Dan Buckshi and Mayor Kevin Wilk spoke before Knox took the oath. Then, Knox, who most recently oversaw the operations bureau in the San Leandro Police Department, also addressed the crowd.

"My commitment to my staff, our city staff, our residents, all of you, is to invest in relationships with you, to earn your trust, to preserve that trust and to serve your best interests, to respect, to lead and to be held accountable," said Knox, who has been on the job for a little over a month.

Knox, a native of Roseville, was hired as an officer in Rocklin in 1996, then became a captain in Novato in 2015 before moving to San Leandro in 2017.

Knox has a bachelor's degree in emergency management and a master's degree in organizational leadership. He graduated from the FBI National Academy and the Senior Management Institute for Police in Boston.

Wilk said one of Knox's strengths is his ability to build connections with co-workers and the community.

"The chief of police is one of the most visible positions in any city operation, one that almost always is in the spotlight and one that works best when the chief has a strong connection not just to the women and men who serve with them, but to the community as well," Wilk said. "As my fellow councilmembers and I have gotten to know chief Knox, he's demonstrated that ability to easily form connections. Anybody who has met him has realized that."

Wilk added: "Police work is more than just responding to 911 calls and enforcing the law. It's about enhancing public safety and listening to the needs of the community ... a community resource officer. We're lucky to find somebody who will do that and more."