Chief of Police

Mark Helms became Lodi's chief of police on August 1, 2011.

Helms served as a law enforcement officer for the City of Stockton's Police Department for nearly 26 years before his selection as Lodi's chief.

Helms has provided high-level leadership to the Stockton Police Department for most of the past decade as either a captain or deputy chief of police.

“It’s a privilege for me to be able to hire someone with Captain Helms’ caliber and depth of experience,” Lodi City Manager Konradt Bartlam said in announcing Helms' selection in June. “He has all the qualifications we were looking for in a chief and more. The Lodi community will benefit from his leadership.”

Helms is one of Stockton Police Department’s highest-ranked police officers.  He served as Deputy Chief of Police from January 2005 to May 2010, when his position was reclassified to captain as part of a department cost-saving reorganization. He previously served as a captain from 2003 to 2005.  Since 2003, he has commanded the Field Services, Investigations, and Administrative Services Bureaus, overseeing various activities such as patrol, traffic, detectives, gang enforcement, personnel, training, crime prevention, code enforcement, and graffiti abatement.  He also commanded a police substation with a staff of 120 members.

“Lodi is a great community and it’s an honor to be its next police chief,” said Helms, who graduated from Tokay High School. “My goal is to make a positive difference in the community, and continue the great relationship the department has with the citizens of Lodi.”

Helms previously received recognition from the Lodi Police Department for his work developing traffic plans for the funeral of Lodi Officer Rick Cromwell, who died in the line of duty in December 1998. Helms was named an honorary sergeant by then-Chief Larry Hansen, now a Lodi City Council member.

Helms began his law enforcement career in 1984 as a custodial officer with the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office, joining the Stockton Police Department as an officer in August 1985. He was promoted to sergeant in 1994, lieutenant in 2000 and captain in 2003. Helms is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and the State Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training’s Law Enforcement Command College.  He holds a bachelor’s degree in management from St. Mary’s College and a master’s degree in public administration from California State University, Stanislaus.