Charles Husted, Director of Policing & Community Engagement
Charles Husted is a retired Chief of Police from the Sedona Police Department. Before relocating to the City of Sedona, Charles retired as a Captain from the Sacramento Police Department after serving in his hometown for 31 years. In 2021, Charles was brought on as an Adjunct Administration of Justice Professor at Yavapai College, teaching courses in Community Policing, Criminal Investigations, and Corrections. Charles has become a certified American Heart Association Basic Life Support and HSI First Aid & CPR trainer because of his passion for helping others and making a positive difference in our society. He is a motivated and experienced leader with a heart for supporting and serving others.
Charles spent his thirty-four-year public safety career focused on community policing, collaborative problem solving, building strong partnerships, growing as a leader, and serving others. Early in his career, he learned that truly effective and sustainable outcomes don’t occur without working closely with the community, building trust, and being purposeful about involving outside stakeholders. He’s created, led, and participated in many working groups to identify and implement solutions using a systematic problem-solving model. Charles understands that innovation and idea generation come from creating an environment where others are welcomed and feel safe to participate.
In addition to his years in executive management, Charles enhanced his professional skills and expertise through his experiences as a homicide and internal affairs investigator and leading various high-performing and successful teams: Gang Unit Investigations, School Resource Officers, and Outreach & Engagement Unit. As an ancillary duty at the Sacramento Police Department, Charles also had the honor of serving as a Crisis Negotiation Team Commander.
Charles also has an extensive background in youth program development and non-profit organization board experience. He has served as the President of the Sacramento Police Activities League and held board member positions with the Sacramento Police Foundation and Stanford Youth Solutions. Charles also served on the Public Agency Advisory Council for “Nextdoor” and holds a position as an Advisory Board Member for the Yavapai College Justice Institute.
Charles also has a broad leadership, executive development, and bias awareness training background. He was selected and served as a national trainer for Procedural Justice and Police Legitimacy at the U.S. Department of Justice, COPS Office. Through education, experience, and training, Charles developed expertise in training and facilitating groups on many additional significant topics, including Kouzes & Posner’s “The Leadership Challenge,” Implicit Bias Awareness, Diversity & Racial Profiling, Police K-9 Program Management, COPS Office Safe Schools, Multi-Hazard Emergency Planning for Schools, and National Incident Management System.