The University announced the appointment of Interim Police Chief Michael Gibson as the official chief of the University Police Department yesterday.
Leonard Sandridge, University executive vice president and chief operating officer, finalized the decision last week, according to Gibson.
Gibson, who has worked in the department since 1982, was selected by a search committee created to permanently fill the position, University spokesperson Carol Wood said.
"A number of candidates were interviewed but it was clear to the search committee that Chief Gibson was the right candidate at the right time for the University," Wood said.
Having worked in several different positions within the department, Gibson has seen many changes in relation to law enforcement at the University.
"Since 1982 the University has grown tremendously--not only in the size and number of buildings but also the demands placed upon the police department in relation to the special events that we have," Gibson said.
National accreditation for the department is now Gibson's main goal. The process involves the evaluation of the practices of the University Police Department in addition to comparing the University's law enforcement to organizations nationally, Wood explained.
"We are excited about [accreditation for the department] and really want to get going," Gibson said. "It requires us to have [an] assessor come in to look at our policies and procedures, our equipment --they have to look at our entire police department."
The assessment will allow the public to gain more insight into the workings of the department as well as function as a critical tool within the organization, Gibson explained.
"It provides some level of insurance to the community that we serve that we are a credible, very professional organization," he said. "We're going to try to improve the management of the police department by consolidating some services."
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