Charlene Jacquez, who served as a patrol sergeant assigned to Lafayette, has been promoted to assistant sheriff of Contra Costa County.

Sheriff David Livingston announced the promotion on Tuesday, Aug. 18. 'Throughout her career she has shown leadership and is well-positioned to guide the Sheriff's Office and staff into the future,' Livingston said of Jacquez. In her new role, Jacquez will oversee the Administrative Services Bureau, which covers personnel and finance, professional standards, recruiting and training.

The Contra Costa Sheriff's Office provides contract law enforcement to Lafayette, meaning deputies assigned to the city report through the sheriff's chain of command rather than a standalone police department. Jacquez served in that Lafayette assignment after her 2019 promotion to sergeant, giving her direct familiarity with the community's public safety concerns.

Jacquez grew up in East Contra Costa County and began her public safety career in 1999 as a 911 dispatcher and community service officer with the City of Galt Police Department. She joined the Brentwood Police Department in 2001, attended the police academy while working full time and graduated in 2005. She came to the Contra Costa Sheriff's Office in 2006 as a deputy sheriff in the Custody Services Bureau.

She served as a jail training officer, worked in the Classification Unit and later became a detective handling domestic violence, sexual assault and homicide cases in the Field Operations Bureau. She also served on the SWAT Hostage Negotiations Team and commanded the county's Mutual Aid Mobile Field Force.

Jacquez was promoted to lieutenant in 2022, running Delta Station as its station house commander, and to captain in February 2025, when she took over as West County Detention Division commander at the Marsh Creek Detention Facility.

"Having been born and raised in East Contra Costa County, I have a deep connection to this community and am committed to continuing to serve our residents while supporting the men and women of the Office of the Sheriff," Jacquez said in the announcement.

She holds a bachelor's degree in criminal justice and a master's in organizational leadership, and is a graduate of POST (Peace Officer Standards and Training) Command College, Class 75.

No swearing-in date has been announced.