By Cris Alarcon, InEDC Writer. (May 21, 2025)
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — A chapter of local law enforcement history is coming to a close. South Lake Tahoe Police Chief David Stevenson will officially retire on June 6 after a remarkable 30-year career. But for those who know him well, the real farewell begins May 21 — his last day in uniform at the station before taking some much-earned vacation.
Stevenson’s story began long before the badge. His family moved to South Lake Tahoe in 1977 when his father joined the SLTPD. Though tragedy struck early—his father passed away in 1981 from non-Hodgkin lymphoma—David stayed the course. He graduated from South Tahoe High in 1990, went on to earn a degree in Criminal Justice from Sacramento State, and put himself through the police academy, where he graduated at the top of his class. Years later, he would enhance his credentials with training from the FBI Academy at Quantico.
He could’ve chosen a life elsewhere. Half Moon Bay was on the table. But home called.
“Protecting the community I grew up in was too good an offer to pass up,” Stevenson once said.
Over the years, Stevenson became a cornerstone of the department. Appointed chief in July 2020, he ushered in a new era with an old-school heart — emphasizing trust, accountability, and community connection.
“This department has truly been my life’s work,”
Stevenson said upon becoming chief.
“The officers who work in our department are the best of the best.”
That sentiment ran both ways. Mayor Tamara Wallace spoke for many at the May 20 City Council meeting:
“I think he has been an amazing chief.”
Stevenson’s service spanned the spectrum — from responding to domestic violence calls to being present for high-profile murder investigations. He was part of the 2012 arrest of Andrew Sanford for the 1980 murder of Richard Swanson and remembered the pain surrounding the tragic 2001 murder of 9-year-old Rebbeca Platz — an incident that occurred while he was off-duty but left a lasting impact.
Yet Stevenson measured his career not in headlines, but in human moments.
“Doing small things that change someone’s life,”
he said, recalling the many times people came back years later to thank him. Known for his empathy, clear communication, and quiet strength, Stevenson was also the guy who’d man the grill for the department’s Fourth of July barbeques — a tradition where he played chef for officers and their families while many were on duty.
As his office walls are now bare, the chief prepares to shift into a new chapter — camping with family, decompressing, and enjoying life at a slower pace. His wife and daughter, a junior at Douglas High School, are part of that plan. So is his mother, still living in South Lake Tahoe — a reminder that while the uniform comes off, the roots remain.
David Stevenson’s departure may be the end of an era, but his legacy is stitched into the fabric of the South Lake Tahoe Police Department, and in the hearts of a community that watched one of their own rise, serve, and lead with honor.
