CHARLES CULLEN

Charles Cullen is the Director of the Technical Services Division of the Palo Alto Police Department. The division includes 9-1-1, Records, Crime Analysis and public safety technology for Police and Fire. Charles has been with the Department for 17 years and worked for the Oregon State Police in Medford OR prior to being hired by Palo Alto.

Charles has worked on a number of regional, state and national projects. He was the Bay Area Wireless Coordinator for wireless 9-1-1 implementation from 2003-2008. He served on the board of the California Chapter of the National Emergency Number Association (CALNENA) from 2006-2012 and as President of the association in 2008.

Charles currently chairs the Association of Public Safety Communications Officers  (APCO’s) ProCHRT Committee. He has chaired the Homeland Security and Preparedness Committee and the Telematics Committee for APCO as well. He was appointed to the Communications Security Reliability and Interoperability Council (CSRIC) working group on 9-1-1 Prioritization 2012 and contributed to the final report.

Charles was elected a member of the Silicon Valley Interoperability Authority’s (SVRIA) working committee in 2010.  The committee oversees collaborative projects between Santa Clara County Public safety Agencies.

He has received a number of awards including the Peninsula Council of Lions Club Service Award, the Susan Voellger Award. Charles was member of the  Wireless 9-1-1 team awarded a DTC Best of California Award for “Demonstrated Excellence in Project Collaboration” and he was selected by the team to accept that award. He received the Oregon State APCO Critical Incident Award in 1997 for his participation in a police pursuit/ hostage incident.

In 2013 Governor Brown appointed Charles to the California State 9-1-1 Advisory Board.

Charles was awarded a Master of Science Degree in Emergency Services Administration from California State University at Long Beach.