Dixon’s new police chief plans to prioritize community policing, youth engagement

DIXON – Under the leadership of Dixon’s new chief of police, Ryan Bivins, the department will be enhancing its focus on community policing.

“What I love is when officers are out of their squad cars in the neighborhoods,” Bivins said. “If they see kids playing basketball, get out, play basketball with them, [or] actually stopping in businesses and getting that face-to-face contact with the business owner so they see us, they know who we are. It’s an instant relationship-building connection.”

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Sgt. Ryan Bivins will be sworn in as the newest Dixon Chief of Police on Monday, June 2, 2025. (Alex T. Paschal)

Bivins said he will continue all of the community policing initiatives the department does now, such as Shop with a Cop and Clothes for Kids, among others, and will “even expand on some of those outreaches.”

A major priority is youth engagement.

“I believe we can have a huge impact on the next generation, you know, with people seeing us beyond just wearing a badge, and investing into the community,” Bivins said.

When applying for the position of chief, final candidates spent about a month preparing a 10- to 15-page management action plan that details their vision for the department. For Bivins, the title of his plan was “Serving Beyond the Badge,” he said.

“It’s just going beyond a normal thing that we’re supposed to do as police officers,” Bivins said.

[ Bivins chosen as Dixon’s newest police chief ]

Bivins will officially assume his new role during his swearing-in ceremony Monday, June 2. Bivins’ selection was announced Tuesday after the retirement of former Chief Steve Howell on May 9.

Bivins’ career in law enforcement began in 2008 with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office as a corrections officer.

After that, he joined the Dixon Police Department in 2009 and has served in many different roles, including patrol officer, detective, patrol sergeant, street crimes sergeant, detective sergeant and hostage negotiator.

He leads the department’s crisis prevention team and was instrumental in launching the police chaplain program, peer support program and first responder resiliency program, according to a news release sent Tuesday from the city of Dixon.

“The favorite part for me has been the relationships that I’ve been able to build along the way – not just within the department, but with members of the community. We meet people in their highest and lowest moments, and it’s a real opportunity to connect with people,” Bivins said.

Bivins’ decision to work in law enforcement wasn’t out of the ordinary because he’d grown up around it. His dad, Tim Bivins, was the Lee County sheriff for 20 years and had previously worked at the Dixon Police Department.

Originally, Bivins was looking into becoming a youth pastor, but then “I felt called to go this route,” he said. “I’m very thankful for that change, because I still think we have a lot of similarities – you get to help kids and be involved.”

Still, “my faith is very central to my life and kind of the foundation of who I am,” Bivins said, adding that he continues to be very involved in his church by serving as a worship leader.

Service has been a major motivator for everything in Bivins’ work, marking the biggest reason he wanted to take on the role of police chief.

“I don’t want it for the title. I’m not a title person. I don’t want it for the pay raise. I don’t want it for, you know, a lot of reasons that people want a promotion sometimes,” Bivins said. “I want to just continue to be able to serve the department. That’s always been my goal as a leader is to serve those that I work with. I believe that in this role I can continue to do that, but also provide a vision for the department to keep moving forward.”

Before the interview process began, Bivins said, it was something that he sat down with his family to talk about “to kind of explain it’s going to come with some more responsibility,” and “they were all super supportive.”

“They are my rock,” Bivins said. “Their love, encouragement and strength make everything I do possible.”

Bivins and his wife, Jordan, have been married 20 years and have four children – Carson, Brady, Bailey and Marley.