Dublin City Manager Linda Smith, who made the final hiring decision under the terms of the city's contract for police services with the sheriff's office, publicly confirmed Schmidt's selection on March 2. Schmidt will succeed current Police Chief Garrett Holmes, who announced his upcoming retirement from law enforcement two weeks ago.
"I am very excited to have the opportunity to return to Dublin Police Services as police chief," Schmidt said in a statement released by the city.
"Chief Holmes developed strong foundational principles and community partnerships, providing a great example to follow to ensure Dublin Police continues to provide the best service to the community," Schmidt added. "Police-community partnerships are most successful when the two support one another. I also hope to stay on the cutting edge of technology, giving our staff the best tools possible to be efficient and successful in keeping Dublin safe."
Schmidt, who recently worked as a captain with DPS for six years, will start the job as police chief on March 19.
A Tri-Valley native, Schmidt grew up in Livermore and graduated from Granada High School before going on to attend the University of California, Davis, where he earned a bachelor's degree in sociology.
He began his law enforcement career as a sheriff's deputy in Alameda County in September 1999. His early years included assignments at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin as well as with DPS as a patrol officer and later a detective.
Schmidt was elevated to sergeant while with DPS in December 2006, where he served as a patrol officer and detective sergeant.
A promotion to lieutenant followed at the end of 2011, leading to Schmidt to be reassigned to the Glenn E. Dyer Jail in Oakland and the Eden Township Station before he returned to Dublin as both the operations lieutenant and administrative lieutenant. He rose to the rank of captain in September 2016, shifting for a short time to Santa Rita Jail before returning to DPS.
At the beginning of this year, Schmidt was promoted to commander under the administration of new Sheriff-Coroner Yesenia Sanchez, resulting in an assignment to the county's Law Enforcement Services Division, which includes patrol for all unincorporated areas of Alameda County, AC Transit Police Services, Highland Hospital Police Services, Dispatch Services, and the Warrants and Records Division.
Schmidt then became a candidate for the Dublin police chief position after Holmes announced on Feb. 17 that he would be retiring on March 17 after more than five years at the helm and nearly 30 years in law enforcement overall.
The commander, who worked almost 18 years in Dublin of his 23-year career with the sheriff's office, would ultimately become Smith's top choice for the chief position.
"I've had the pleasure of working with Commander Schmidt for many years. His experience, leadership, and working knowledge of Dublin Police Services makes him the natural choice to lead the Department," Smith said in a statement. "I am extremely pleased to welcome him back to Dublin."
