Chief Jon Radus

Chief Jon Radus began his career with Fullerton PD in October 2002 as a police officer assigned to the Operations Division in Patrol. In 2005, Jon was selected as one of the first four members of the department’s Community Enhancement Team (the Echo Unit), assigned to police the nightlife in Fullerton’s popular Downtown Area. In 2008, Jon was then assigned to the TARGET (Tri-Agency Regional Gang Enforcement Team) Gang Unit as a Detective, investigating gang and narcotics-related crimes and conducting Gang Violence Suppression. He promoted to the rank of Corporal in 2009. In 2012, Jon returned to patrol as a Field Training Officer, training newly hired police trainees. Jon was a member of the North County SWAT Team as an operator for 7 years.

In 2014, Jon promoted to the rank of Sergeant and was assigned to Patrol. In 2016, Jon was selected as the Department’s Public Information Officer and Supervisor of the Community Services Bureau. Responsible for all communications with the media and the public, Jon was also responsible for the management and growth of the Department’s various Social Media platforms and Community Events. In this role, Jon also oversaw the Department’s School Resource Officers and acted as a liaison between the Department and the Fullerton School District, the Fullerton Joint Union High School District, and the various colleges and universities in Fullerton.

Jon was promoted to Lieutenant in 2018, and was assigned to the Traffic Bureau, overseeing all traffic personnel and the Office of Traffic Safety grant. A riding Lieutenant, Jon also oversaw the Department’s well-known Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) Program, which has trained hundreds of police officers from across the State and beyond in the recognition of impaired drivers on our roads. Jon has been a DRE/DRE Instructor since 2008 and still maintains his certification today. Jon developed the platform for the Department’s Critical Incident Community Briefing videos to share information with the public about critical incidents, which was the first Orange County police department to do so. In 2020, Jon was assigned to Patrol as a Watch Commander and later assigned to Investigations as the Investigations Bureau Commander, overseeing the Crimes Persons Unit, Property Crimes Unit, Narcotics Unit, Special Investigations Unit, Crime Scene Investigations Unit, Community Services Bureau, and Property/Evidence Unit.

In 2021, Jon promoted to Police Captain, and was assigned as the Operations Division Commander, overseeing the Patrol Bureau, Traffic Bureau, Communications, Homeless Liaison Officers, K9 Unit, North County SWAT Team, and the Department’s Type 1 Jail Facility.

Jon was appointed Interim Chief of Police by the Fullerton City Council in September 2023, and permanent Chief of Police in February, 2024, overseeing 220 employees with a $62 million budget.

Jon graduated from the University of California-Berkeley with a BA in Business and Organizational Management and a minor in City and Regional Planning. He is a graduate of the Cal State Fullerton Leadership Development in Public Agencies Consortium, and the LAPD West Point Leadership Program. Jon is also an instructor in the Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Management Course through the Cal State Long Beach Foundation. He is a member of the IACP and serves on the Traffic Safety Committee for the California Police Chief’s Association. Jon is a Board Member for Families Forward, a non-profit with the mission of ending family homelessness, and he is married and has three children. 

Chief Jon Radus