Robert P. Dale, B.A. History, 1963

Robert P. Dale

A graduate of Santa Rosa High School, Bob Dale earned his AA degree from Santa Rosa Junior College in 1961. He then enrolled as one of the first students at the newly formed California State College, Sonoma and graduated in 1963 with a BA in history. In 1964 Dale enlisted in the United States Army. He applied for and was admitted to Officer Candidate School. After receiving his commission as an Infantry Officer, he attended Airborne School and completed basic paratrooper training. He also attended Jungle Survival School in Panama. After being assigned to an infantry training brigade for one year, he was transferred to the Republic of Vietnam. Prior to his discharge in 1967, Dale attained the rank of First Lieutenant and was awarded the Bronze Star. Dale returned to California and graduated with his Juris Doctorate Degree from Hastings College of Law in 1970.

Currently, Dale is a Sonoma County Superior Court Judge and head of the newly-formed Sonoma County Drug Court Rehabilitation Program. In 1995 Dale became interested in the concept of a highly structured, intensive Drug Court, which dealt only with long time drug addicts--individuals who if not ordered into daily treatment, would be subjected to lengthy sentences in county jail or state prison. Dale chaired the task force which created this new court in 1996, one of the first established in the United States. The program has 87 graduates and an extremely low re-arrest rate. In an article by the Press Democrat the court is described as follows, "The programs premise is simple, if a bit ironic: instead of incarcerating drug addicts, it holds that the criminal justice system should go out of its way to keep them out of jail. The nine-month Drug Court program offers a "tough love" approach to recovery and is similar to out-patient boot camp with Dale at the helm." Dale is described as "part lawmaker, part parent, art priest" as he presides over the court.

In 1997 Dale again was assigned to a special task force to create a plan for a court specializing in domestic violence. After eleven months of planning the Domestic Violence Court was instituted in November of 1997 and Dale has since presided over more than 600 offenders.

Formerly a Deputy District Attorney, Dale was appointed to the bench in 1985 and served as presiding judge for the Municipal Court in 1988 and 1993. Prior to that he worked in the Sonoma County District Attorney's Office. He has tried in excess of 100 jury trials in Sonoma County and prosecuted five first degree murder trials, two of which involved the death penalty. He was the first judge in Sonoma County assigned to the case of the People v. Richard Allen Davis, which generated extensive publicity and led to the enactment of California's "Three Strikes" law. Dale served as a member of the Judicial Council of California Task Force on Photographing, Broadcasting and Recording in the Courtroom and is a graduate of the California Judicial College.

The first SSU graduate to become a judge, Dale is also the first SSU graduate to become a lawyer admitted to practice in California. He is a member of the Executive Council of the Sonoma-Mendocino Area Boy Scouts of America and the Board of Directors of the California Junior Miss Program. He has also served as a faculty member for California Criminal Justice Training Center (Los Guilicos) and Empire College of Law.