Lieutenant Nelson

Lieutenant Robert L. Nelson III began his career with the Tustin Police Department in February 2013.

CAREER

POLICE SERVICES OFFICER

Lieutenant Nelson's career started as a Police Services Officer (PSO) in Crime Scene Investigation. In this role, he assisted in field investigations, protected crime scenes, and collected evidence, including photographs, fingerprints, and blood samples. He also contributed to traffic collision investigations and accident reports.

OFFICER

In 2014, Lieutenant Nelson was promoted to Police Officer after graduating the Golden West Police Academy. During this time, he as a Police Explorer Advisor and later assigned as a Field Training Officer (FTO), fulfilling a key role in training and mentoring new officers. In 2019, Lieutenant Nelson was promoted to Detective, where he was assigned to primarily investigate property crimes.

SERGEANT

Lieutenant Nelson promoted to the rank of Sergeant in 2020, supervising patrol and ensuring compliance with department policies. During this time, he held several collateral duties which included Field Training Program Coordinator, Peer Support Coordinator, Scheduling Supervisor, as well as the Crisis Negotiation Team Leader. He was the recipient of Tustin Police Officer's Association "Supervisor of the Year" Award (2021, 2023). Lieutenant works as and Executive Training Officer at the Golden West Police Academy and the Physical Fitness Manager overseeing the Lifetime Fitness program.

LIEUTENANT

In 2024, Lieutenant Nelson was promoted to his current role as Administrative Commander. He oversees the strategic plan, manages policies and procedures, and served as the SWAT Commander. In addition, he manages several specialized units, including the Traffic Division, Behavior Health Unit, and the Community Oriented Policing & Problem Solving (COPPS) program.

EDUCATION

Lieutenant Nelson holds a Master of Science in Organizational Leadership from National University and a Bachelor of Arts in Interpersonal and Organizational Communications from California State University, Long Beach.

PERSONAL LIFE

In his spare time, Lieutenant Nelson enjoys reading, physical fitness training, and coaching.