Taurino Valdovinos, MS
Assistant Chief Taurino Valdovinos was born in Mexico and raised in North County San Diego. He graduated from Carlsbad High School in 1995 and received a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Saint Mary’s College of California. He also holds a Master of Science in Criminal Justice from the University of Cincinnati. Chief Valdovinos joined the Oceanside Police Department in September 2003 and is a 2022 graduate of the FBI National Academy and the San Diego County Regional Leadership Institute.
Chief Valdovinos worked patrol, Neighborhood Policing Team, Uniform Gang Suppression and was a Gang Detective in the Special Enforcement Section, where he was a court-certified gang expert. Chief Valdovinos was also a Force Options Training Simulator instructor and a SWAT team member before his promotion to Sergeant in January 2013. As a Sergeant, he served as a patrol team supervisor and later supervised the Neighborhood Policing Team. In 2014, Chief Valdovinos received the Dan Bessant Community Policing Award for his work in the Libby Lake community. In June 2015, he was promoted to Lieutenant and served as a Lieutenant in each of the department’s three divisions. During this time, he created and staffed new positions for the department and served as the department’s Public Information Officer in English and Spanish. In January 2023, he was promoted to Captain and oversaw the Support Operations Division.
Chief Valdovinos created and manages the Oceanside Youth Partnership (OYP) program, a 16-week mentoring program for at-risk youth.
In addition to his responsibilities with the Police Department and the MS-LEPSL program, he also serves on the Board of Directors for Vista Community Clinic.