Jorge Duran

Member of the IIR Board of Trustees

Chief Jorge Duran serves as a member of the Institute for Intergovernmental Research (IIR) Board of Trustees. As a nationally recognized leader, he supports IIR’s strategic efforts by sharing his extensive knowledge and experience in championing evidence-based contemporary practices and emerging issues in the delivery of training and technical assistance to the field. He also serves as chief investigator of the San Diego County, California, District Attorney’s Office, appointed to this position in 2017. In this capacity, Chief Duran oversees the day-to-day operations of the District Attorney’s Office Bureau of Investigation, comprised of 132 sworn peace officers and 50 civilian personnel. The Bureau provides a full range of investigative services that enhance prosecutions and support local law enforcement agencies.

In December 2016, Chief Duran retired as a captain from the San Diego Police Department after 29 years of service. His last assignment was as commanding officer of the Operational Support Division, where he managed several centralized units, including Canine, SWAT, Critical Incident Management, the Early Identification and Intervention Program, and the Body-Worn Camera System.

Prior to his assignment in Operational Support, Chief Duran was the commanding officer of Southeastern Division and managed a staff of 150 patrol, investigative, civilian, and volunteer personnel. Southeastern Division provides police services to approximately 175,000 residents in a 20-square-mile area of the city. In September 2012, Chief Duran was selected to manage the Homicide Unit, where he oversaw the investigation of and response to all homicides, officer-involved shootings, in-custody deaths, and suspicious death cases.

In his previous assignment, Chief Duran managed the Internal Affairs Unit and oversaw the administrative investigations of alleged police misconduct, ranging from criminal conduct to policy violations. He also chaired the department’s Use of Force Committee and made policy and training recommendations to the chief of police.

From 2007 to 2011, Chief Duran managed the Street Gang Unit, which is composed of the Gang Suppression Unit, the Gang Investigations/Intelligence Unit, the Graffiti Enforcement Unit, and the Violent Crimes Task Force. Prior to this assignment, he supervised a homicide team and a cold case team.

As the Gang Unit commander, Chief Duran chaired the San Diego County Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Grant Law Enforcement Subcommittee. His responsibilities included coordinating with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to develop anti-gun and anti-gang strategies and implementing those strategies to address regional gang and gun violence. He was also the project manager for the California Gang Reduction and Intervention Program (CalGrip) and managed a grant that implemented gang suppression, intervention, and prevention programs in high-gang-crime areas of San Diego.

In 2010, the Bureau of Justice Assistance asked Chief Duran to participate in a homicide unit assessment team, providing instruction on organizational roles, crime-scene containment and documentation, evidence protection, and pitfalls encountered in working with witnesses.

Chief Duran holds a master of arts degree in organizational leadership from Chapman University and a bachelor of arts degree in criminal justice administration from San Diego State University and is a graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigation National Academy.