WILLIAM M. LANSDOWNE

COMMISSIONER II

SERVING SINCE 2014

THE THIN BLUE LINE

Commissioner Lansdowne served in law enforcement almost 50 years when he retired from the San Diego Police Department in February 2014.  He joined the Board of Commissioners in June of 2014.

Commissioner Lansdowne began his career as a patrolman in San Jose California and worked his way through the ranks, eventually reaching Assistant Chief of Police. Seeing an opportunity to lead his own department, Commissioner Lansdowne took the job as Chief of Police of the Richmond California Police Department in 1994. 

As the head of Richmond PD he lowered crime, reduced overtime expenditures and restored trust in the community. He returned to San Jose to serve as Chief of Police from 1999 until 2003 when he became the chief of the San Diego Police Department. 

Upon his 2014 retirement Commissioner Lansdowne set an SDPD tenure record for service as chief when his ten years of service bested Chief Clifford Peterson (1940-1947) by three years. 

Commissioner Lansdowne is married to a retired San Jose Police Detective. They reside in San Diego County.