RaShana Dabney-Donovan, Chief
Town of Pembroke Park Police Department
In July of 1999, Ra Shana A. Dabney began her career with the Hallandale Beach Police Department as a Community Service Aide. In June of 2000, she entered the Broward Institute of Public Safety’s Police Academy and in October of 2000, she graduated the academy with honors, becoming the first African American female certified police officer in the history of Hallandale Beach. After two years of working Road Patrol, Officer Dabney was selected to join the Vice, Intelligence and Narcotics Unit, where she was involved in one of Hallandale Beach’s most successful OCIDEF cases; Operation West Side. This case resulted in being recognized by the United States Attorney’s Office as one of their Officers of the Year in 2005. After two and a half years in VIN, Officer Dabney returned to Road Patrol.
For the next six years, Officer Donovan’s duties not only included an assignment to Road Patrol, but she was also assigned to Administrative Services, working at the Front Desk and within the Accreditation Unit.
In April of 2011, Officer Donovan was promoted to Sergeant. As a Sergeant, her assignments have included Road Patrol; Community Involvement Unit, where she headed numerous city events, such as the Hallandale Beach Special Olympics, Relay for Life, Martin Luther King Jr Celebration, Shop With a Cop and National Night Out; and Professional Standards.
In August of 2015, Sergeant Dabney-Donovan was promoted to Captain. For two years, Captain Dabney-Donovan was assigned to Day Shift Uniformed Road Patrol and was a member and the Commander of the Crisis Intervention Team. In May of 2017, she implemented the agency’s first Teen Summit, a one day forum, featuring guest speakers, law enforcement officers and community members who worked cohesively to facilitate workshops focused on helping teens to “Boss Up”!
In October of 2017, Captain Dabney-Donovan was assigned to the Professional Standards Unit, where she oversees Internal Affairs, Training, Accreditation and the Body Worn Cameras. She continued to participate in community events, partnering with various mentorship organizations, committing herself to the betterment of the community and the agency she served until her retirement in July of 2021.
Captain Dabney-Donovan was a Public Information Officer (PIO) and a member of the Honor Guard and Recruitment, serving as Commander of all three teams. She also implemented a Mentorship Program, entitled Badge Buddies. Seeing the importance of building positive relationships between law enforcement personnel and the community, Captain Dabney-Donovan began her own nonprofit organization entitled, Crossing Blue Bridges, Inc.™
In July of 2021, Captain Dabney-Donovan retired from the Hallandale Beach Police Department, after 22 years of service. She spent just about one year in retirement until….
In July of 2022, she answered a call, which summoned her out of retirement, and became the Major of the Town of Pembroke Park Police Department. Major Dabney-Donovan has been instrumental in assisting with opening a brand-new agency.
In May of 2023, Major Dabney-Donovan became a co-chief for the agency, in June of 2023 became the Interim Chief of Police, and in September of 2023 was appointed Chief of Police for the Town of Pembroke Park Police Department. In her current role, Chief Dabney-Donovan plans, directs, manages, and oversees the activities and operations of the police department.
