Chief John Carli (ret.) has 32 years of experience and is recognized as a progressive and innovative leader in law enforcement. Carli was appointed as Chief of Police of the Vacaville Police Department (California) in April of 2014, coming up through the ranks within his own agency. Carli retired in 2021, and shortly thereafter was elected as Mayor of his city in 2022. Carli is an internationally recognized speaker and public policy expert regarding homelessness, police legitimacy, and employee wellness.
His policing career started in 1989 where he spent his early years as a police officer patrolling the streets with his K9 partner, eventually serving as a field training officer and detective. While in Investigations, he was assigned to the Northern California Computer Crimes Task Force in Napa, California, investigating computer crimes and identity theft. Carli promoted through the ranks beginning in 2003 and, over the next several years, supervised patrol teams, the Critical Incident Negotiation Team, K9 Unit, Firearms Instructors, Police Technology, and the Office of Professional Standards.
As an outspoken advocate for the law enforcement profession, Carli’s most relevant work focuses on national best practices in policing, technology, public policy, and officer safety and wellness. In the summer of 2016, Chief Carli was summoned to the White House to meet with President Obama In the wake of national high profile policing events and civil unrest. Since then he has dedicated his time and efforts to improve the profession and implement change.
Carli was an early adopter of body-worn cameras to all officers as early as 2009. This gained national attention through the publishing of a department study on the issue of body-worn cameras and organizational trust, which was included in the US DOJ COPS report “Implementing a Body-worn Camera Program – Recommendations and Lessons Learned.”
John formed the Community Response Unit (CRU) using COPS funding, focusing on quality of life and homeless issues. Carli chairs the Vacaville Homeless Roundtable and is outspoken in coalescing community groups and the faith-based organizations to address social issues placed at the feet of law enforcement. His agency’s creative approach to reducing homelessness was highlighted during a Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) national town-hall meeting focusing on “The Police Response to Homelessness.”
Recognizing the gap between officers in crisis and the need for early prevention strategies, Carli embarked on implementing a radical culture shift to create psychological resiliency within first responders. John’s preventive approach to promoting this culture of wellness led to his development of the Cordico Law Enforcement Wellness App (Lexipol) that was highlighted at the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) national town-hall summit, and is now recognized as the industry leader in wellness worldwide.
Under Carli’s leadership, the Vacaville Police Department (California) was recognized as the 2020 top agency in the nation by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Foundation, receiving the “Destination Zero” Officer Safety and Wellness award.
Chief Carli continues to serve as an Executive Fellow with the National Policing Institute in Washington D.C., focusing on the continuous improvement within the policing profession. As chief, Carli represented the California Police Chief’s Association as the chair of the California Data Sharing Task Force, focusing on best practice strategies for law enforcement technology and information system sharing, and was a member of the California Attorney General’s Advisory Committee. John holds a Master of Science Degree in Strategic Leadership and is a graduate of the Police Executive Research Forum’s Senior Management Institute for Police, and was awarded the Executive Leadership Certificate by the California Department of Justice Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training