General Meeting - May 2024

Nick Newton was hired as the City of Oakdale’s 8th Police Chief in September of 2021. Nick has worked for the Oakdale Police Department since 2001, serving as patrol officer, detective, sergeant, and captain prior to his promotion to Police Chief.

In addition to his many roles with the City of Oakdale, Nick has collaborated with various Washington County Law enforcement agencies and served as instructor for incident command for the coordinated response to active shooter incidents. Additionally, Nick has served as a squad leader for the Washington County Mobile Field Force team, which involved numerous hours of training, dignitary protection, and several deployments in the metropolitan area for mutual aid to other cities.

As a life-long learner, Nick holds a Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice Leadership from Concordia University, is a graduate of the School of Police Staff and Command of Northwestern University, and in 2019, Nick graduated from the FBI National Academy. Nick celebrates continuing education and promotes this principal as a member of Oakdale's senior leadership team.

Understanding that public trust is essential for police work, Nick has a strong passion for making connections and building trust with the community. While laws, policies, and procedures are important in police work, Nick recognizes that creating a culture for doing what’s right is essential to building trust. The guiding principles of procedural justice is something the police department practices. Procedural justice means treating all with dignity and respect; listening to others; making fair decisions; and always being able to explain our actions to our community.