THE THIN BLUE LINE

Having retired from the San Diego Police Department after a 38 year career, Chief of Volunteers Janis O’Dell brings a unique prospective and skillset to the San Diego Police Historical Association.

During her career with SDPD, Chief of Volunteers O'Dell served in a number of different roles including police officer and police dispatcher.

The majority of her time was spent in the Police Communications Division where she worked the very demanding job of radio dispatcher. Her final 15 years was spent as a Police Dispatch Supervisor.

Following her 2003 retirement from the city, Chief of Volunteers O’Dell became a contract employee for Northrop Grumman Information Technology for a few years, teaching and troubleshooting public safety dispatch systems.

Chief of Volunteers O’Dell is very active in the community and she splits her volunteer time between the San Diego State Alumni, the College of Arts and Letters and the San Diego Police Museum. 

In her role at the San Diego Police Museum, Chief of Volunteers O'Dell is responsible for all volunteer activities, scheduling and training.

JANIS O'DELL

CHIEF OF VOLUNTEERS