Police Chief Robert Jonsen recently announced the promotion of Scott Mackdanz to the position of sergeant. Sergeant Mackdanz joined the police department as an officer in 1999. In 2001, he became a K9 handler and along with his K9 partner, “Dag” worked patrol until 2005. As a team, they apprehended numerous criminal suspects, provided K9 demonstrations for schools and community groups, and assisted neighboring law enforcement agencies with building and area searches. Throughout his career, Mackdanz completed various assignments/duties, including serving as a hostage negotiator for the regional SWAT team since 2004. His other departmental responsibilities have included field training officer, firearms instructor, terrorism liaison officer, code enforcement officer and acting watch commander. Mackdanz built a strong connection to the Menlo Park community in his code enforcement role and as a child passenger safety technician since 2005. He has assisted parents and child care providers with proper installation of child safety seats. He worked with dispatchers in presenting the “911 for Kids” program for local schools and served as an instructor for the department’s citizen’s academy. Mackdanz holds a Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice from California State University – Sacramento and a Master of Public Administration degree from Notre Dame de Namur University.