Department Structure

The South Lake Tahoe Police Department has a jurisdictional area of approximately 13 square miles. About five of these include the waters of Lake Tahoe. We currently have 40 sworn positions. There are 10 civilian support personnel. In addition to this, we have a Reserve Officer program, and a highly decorated Explorer Scout post affiliated with the Boys and Girls Club of America.

We operate under the philosophy of Community Oriented Policing and Problem Solving. Our agency fields a host of specialized collateral assignments. Included among these are the Detective Investigations bureau, the SLEDNET drug task force, boat patrol, K-9 detail, bicycle patrol, SWAT team, Crisis Negotiation Team, Field Training Officers, Honor Guard detail, and others. Our standard patrol vehicles are Chevy Tahoes, which are useful in snow conditions. These are supplemented by Ford Expeditions, Explorers and Chevy Impala sedans.

Terry Daniels is our current Chief of Police. Chief Daniels came to be employed with our agency as a patrol officer, after beginning his law enforcement career at the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Department. Captain Martin Hewlett is the second in command. Martin Hale and David Stevenson hold our two Lieutenant positions. We have 7 Sergeants and 5 “Officers in Charge” (OIC). The OIC’s are selected from the rankings of the existing sergeant’s list and are the acting supervisors when a sergeant is not available.

Operations Division

The Operations Division of the police department is essentially the backbone of any law enforcement organization. This division is responsible for the tasks that one typically thinks of when the standard idea of police work is envisioned. The Operations division consists of our uniformed officers, patrolling our city in vehicles, on bicycles, in watercraft or on foot. The operations division spearheads the Community Oriented Policing and Problem Solving effort. The various Neighborhood Watch efforts within the city are generated through this division. Assigned to the Operations Division are the Traffic Enforcement Programs, the Police Canine Squad, the Field Training Officer program, as well as the Latino Affairs, Peer Support and Honor Guard details. The officers assigned to the Operations Division respond to emergency calls for service, and a host of other activities. Many of these include:

1. Divisional planning, research, budgeting, and training.
2. Continuous patrol of the City to prevent crime.
3. Apprehension of criminals and traffic violators.
4. Investigation of crime and complaints reported to the Department.
5. Preparation of reports on all assigned investigations.
6. Assisting in the prosecution of criminal matters and testifying in court.
7. Providing miscellaneous services to the citizens.
8. Providing an effective program of public safety education.


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