Sam Dotson

Samuel Dotson III
Born	(1967-07-22) July 22, 1967 St. Louis, Missouri, Missouri, U.S.
Awards	Officer of the Month Award of Excellence
Police career
Department	Metropolitan Police Department, City of St. Louis
Allegiance	City of St. Louis
Country	United States of America
Years of service	1993–present
Rank	1993: sworn in as an officer 2001: Sergeant 2007: Lieutenant 2008: Captain 2012: Chief of Police (34th)

Doyle Samuel Dotson III was selected 34th Chief of Police of the Metropolitan Police Department, City of St. Louis on December 14, 2012, after 18 years in the department. Dotson manages the second largest police department in the state of Missouri and is responsible for the Department's budget, which translates to $173 million annually. He oversees 1,319 sworn officers and 548 civilian employees. As Chief of Police of the second-largest city in the state, he is responsible for the public safety of 319,294 residents who live in the City of St. Louis.

Early life and education

Dotson is a 1987 graduate of Metro Academic and Classical High School and earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Management from Fontbonne University, and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Webster University. He is also a graduate of the Senior Management Institute for Police.

Career

He joined the St. Louis Police Department on October 11, 1993. After graduating from the Police Academy, Colonel Dotson was assigned to the Fourth District. In 2001, he was promoted to the rank of Sergeant where he served in the Office of the Chief and the Ninth District. In 2007, he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant where he served in the Office of the Chief. In 2008, he was promoted to the rank of Captain where he served in the Office of the Chief, the Seventh District and the Board of Police Commissioners. Prior to being named Chief of Police, he served as the Operations Director for the City of St. Louis.

During his career with the Department, Colonel Dotson has received several awards, including Chief’s Letter of Commendation, Officer of the Month, and Award of Excellence.

References

Byers, Christine, "Sam Dotson chosen as new St. Louis Police Chief", St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 15, 2012.