Biography

Brian Cook was born in San Francisco, California in 1963. After graduating from high school in 1981,
he attended college and majored in architecture and business. Brian chose to settle into a career to help provide for his daughter, Tia. He chose law enforcement.

Brian joined the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office and graduated from the basic academy in 1987.
He began his law enforcement career in the North County Jail and worked extensively on the Administrative Segregation section where some of the ‘worst of the worst’ of the County were housed.

In 1991, a Brian was transferred to the courts and worked as a courtroom bailiff during jury trials and other proceedings. It was in the courts where his career path suddenly took a different trajectory.

One day, Brian’s sergeant pulled him into his office and told him that he had the physical presence and demeanor to consider working on the streets. Brian was taken aback. He’d never thought or desired to go to patrol, but, now that his sergeant planted the seed in his head, it couldn't help but bloom.

In 1993, Brian’s sergeant recommended for him to be temporarily assigned to a joint holiday suppression detail working with Oakland Police Department. It was during this time that Brian was hooked and he knew what he wanted to work as a patrol deputy for the life of his career.

In 1994, Brian was transferred to patrol and completed the Field Training Program shortly thereafter. He began his stint patrolling for A.C. Transit Police Services and was later reassigned to the Sheriff’s Office’s Patrol Division, the Eden Township Substation. His assignments included patrolling sectors and working undercover details.

In 1998, Brian was promoted to the rank of sergeant and as the old saying went on the Sheriff’s Office: All roads lead back to jail. He rotated back to North County Jail and later reassigned to Santa Rita Jail.

In 2000, he began dating Dauphne Villa, also a deputy sheriff, after they struck up a chance conversation. They were married a year later.

In 2002, Brian was transferred back to Eden Township Substation as a shift sergeant where he supervised calls for service, violent crimes, as well as, in-progress criminal activities. He later became a detective/sergeant assigned to investigate high-technology and property crimes.

He was also briefly assigned to Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Services to supervise and coordinate with 16 neighboring counties within the Region for Mutual aid incidents.  

In 2009, Brian was promoted to the rank of lieutenant and assigned to North County Jail as a watch commander and then selected to be the Captain’s Executive Officer. During his brief assignment as the XO, Brian cut his teeth into the intricacies of police management and some of the politics behind them.

Brian was later transferred to the Oakland International Airport’s Police Services as the unit commander where he managed the airport's security provided by the deputies and safety aides.   

Brian was heavily involved in the Sheriff Office’s large-scale training exercise for local and federal agencies’ tactical response teams called UrbanShield as the logistics chief. With the help of his able staff, he ensured the equipment and resources were obtained and mobilized during the 48-hour event. 

In 2012, Brian decided to call it a career and honorably retired, but, wouldn’t be idle for long. He planned to dive into writing.

Brian stays busy by playing basketball and working out; he also likes to draw.

He and Dauphne reside in Antioch, California and have a blended family that includes their seven children and 13 grandchildren.

He received numerous commendations and honors during his 25-plus year career and is currently a member of several writing groups and networks.

His literary inspirations include Alex Haley, Ralph Wiley, and Stephen King.