The Vallejo Police Department has selected Joseph Allio as the Interim Assistant Police Chief, who began serving in his new role with the department on Monday, July 20th.
Interim Assistant Chief Allio comes to the role following a 33-year career in law enforcement. He retired from the City of Fairfield as its Police Chief in 2017, and served as the Interim Police Chief for the Vallejo Police Department from June 25, 2019 to November 11, 2019.
“Interim Assistant Chief Allio is a seasoned law enforcement veteran and will be an invaluable asset to this department as we continue to improve and evolve,” said Chief of Police Shawny Williams. “Having the right leadership team in place is essential to accomplishing our mission of providing a high standard of public safety to Vallejo.”
On Tuesday, July 14, 2020, the Vallejo City Council approved the Assistant Chief position, which will be funded out of the Vallejo Police Department’s 2020-2021 budget. The Assistant Chief will assist in internal operations management and help the department implement improvements based upon the OIR Group evaluation report. (See a press release on the proposed improvement plan for details.)
Interim Assistant Chief Allio began his career as a police officer with the South San Francisco Police Department in 1984. In 1987, he joined the Fairfield Police Department and advanced through the ranks to chief. During his tenure, Allio worked in virtually every assignment including Patrol, Investigations, SWAT, Youth Services, Internal Affairs, and Community Services. He was a founding member of the department’s Peer Support Team, participated in the development of “active shooter” response training, and developed and implemented the Police Probation Team. Additionally, he has demonstrated an ability to work with community organizations.
Interim Assistant Chief Allio has a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice Management from Union Institute. He has attended numerous law enforcement management programs including the Sherman Block Supervisory Leadership Institute, Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Management Course for Law Enforcement Officers, and the prestigious Police Executive Research Forum’s Senior Management Law Enforcement Institute for Policing, hosted by Boston University.
“I look forward to serving Chief Williams and the Vallejo Police Department as we continually seek to improve and transform policing in Vallejo,” Interim Assistant Chief Allio said.
Assistant Chief Allio will serve in the interim position while the hiring process is completed for the full-time, permanent Assistant Police Chief position.
For media inquiries, please contact Vallejo Police Department’s Public Information Officer, Brittany K. Jackson by phone at (707) 651-7147 or VallejoPolicePIO@