Walnut Creek Expected To Name New Interim Police Chief

WALNUT CREEK, CA — The Walnut Creek City Council is expected to name Dan Pratt as its interim police chief at its regular meeting Tuesday night.

Pratt was the police chief of San Ramon from 2016 to 2018 before retiring. It was the second time Pratt retired; he also left the department in 2016 after a dozen years before the city brought him back.

Before that, he worked for the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office, where he commanded the central county SWAT team, among other duties. Before going into law enforcement, Pratt served as an infantry platoon commander in the U.S. Marines.

Pratt has a degree in Criminal Justice from the John F. Kennedy School of Law and is a John Maxwell Team certified leadership trainer and coach.

Former Walnut Creek Police Chief Tom Chaplin retired in October 2020. The position was filled by Jay Hill until last month.

Pratt is not the same Daniel Pratt who works for the Solano County Sheriff's Office and appeared in news articles in February for allegedly posting references on social media to one of the extremist groups that tried seizing the U.S. Capitol in January. The Pratt with the Solano County Sheriff's Office also happens to be the brother of actor Chris Pratt.

The Walnut Creek City Council meeting starts at 6 p.m. Tuesday. To watch, go to the city's YouTube channel or on the city's website.