Director of Public Safety/Chief of Police

Location: Big Rapids (Main Campus)

Salary range: $121,724 - $141,387. Placement within the range is based on qualifications, experience, and internal pay equity.

About the Role

Provides executive leadership and strategic direction for FSU's comprehensive public safety and law enforcement program. Serves as Chief of Police and leads sworn law enforcement officers and public safety personnel responsible for campus safety and security, crime prevention, emergency response, investigations, parking and traffic enforcement, emergency management, and related public safety services. Develops collaborative relationships with students, faculty, staff, University leadership, and local, state, and federal partners to foster a safe, welcoming, and student-centered campus environment. Establishes departmental priorities and ensures operations reflect a community-oriented policing philosophy while complying with applicable federal and state laws, professional standards, University policies, and recognized law enforcement practices. Reports to the Vice President for Administration and Finance.

Responsibilities

• Leadership and Department Administration
  • Provides executive leadership, strategic direction, and administrative oversight for the Department of Public Safety and University police operations.
  • Develops and implements departmental plans, priorities, goals, policies, and objectives consistent with the University's mission and strategic priorities.
  • Plans, directs, and evaluates departmental operations, staffing, organizational structure, programs, services, budgets, and resource allocation.
  • Recruits, develops, supervises, evaluates, and disciplines departmental personnel in accordance with University policies, collective bargaining agreements, and employment requirements.
  • Develops a departmental culture emphasizing professionalism, integrity, service, accountability, collaboration, continuous improvement, and respect for the campus community.
  • Ensures departmental personnel receive appropriate training to maintain required certifications and remain current with evolving laws, practices, technologies, and professional standards.
  • Uses operational data, crime and incident trends, and other measures to evaluate performance and inform staffing, deployment, resources, and improvement initiatives.
  • Advises the Vice President for Administration and Finance and other University leaders regarding public safety risks, emerging issues, operations, and recommended strategies.
• Law Enforcement and Campus Safety
  • Provides executive oversight of law enforcement operations, including patrol, criminal investigations, crime prevention, traffic and parking enforcement, event security, and other public safety activities.
  • Ensures applicable laws and ordinances are appropriately and consistently enforced and coordinates activities with local, state, and federal law enforcement and emergency response agencies.
  • Oversees criminal and other investigations within the University's jurisdiction and coordinates special investigations and services as necessary.
  • Maintains systems of professional accountability, including review of use-of-force incidents, complaints, internal investigations, officer conduct, policy compliance, and corrective action.
  • Ensures departmental policies, training, equipment, and practices comply with legal requirements and recognized professional law enforcement standards.
  • Provides public safety planning and operational oversight for major University events, including athletic events, commencement, student activities, demonstrations, dignitary visits, and other events requiring coordinated security, traffic, or emergency planning.
• Community Policing and University Engagement
  • Promotes community-oriented policing emphasizing prevention, service, communication, education, relationship-building, and collaborative problem solving.
  • Builds trust and productive relationships with students, faculty, staff, families, University leadership, surrounding communities, and other stakeholders.
  • Collaborates across the University to identify safety concerns, develop prevention strategies, and coordinate institutional responses, including partnerships with departments involved in campus safety and student well-being.
  • Participates in University committees, working groups, outreach, and educational initiatives involving campus safety, emergency preparedness, student well-being, and related priorities.
  • Communicates proactively with the campus community and ensures accurate and timely information during significant incidents and emergencies.
  • Serves as a liaison with internal and external constituencies regarding law enforcement, crime prevention, public safety, and emergency preparedness.
• Emergency Management and Preparedness
  • Leads the University's emergency management and preparedness program and serves as the University's Emergency Management Coordinator.
  • Coordinates development, implementation, maintenance, and evaluation of emergency operations plans and response protocols.
  • Coordinates emergency preparedness training, exercises, and tabletop activities to strengthen institutional readiness.
  • Provides leadership during emergencies and critical incidents and supports appropriate incident command and emergency operations structures.
  • Coordinates emergency planning and response with University departments and external emergency response partners.
  • Participates in continuity and institutional resilience planning and coordinates after-action reviews following significant incidents and exercises.
• Threat Assessment and Violence Prevention
  • Provides law enforcement expertise to University behavioral intervention, threat assessment, and violence-prevention processes.
  • Collaborates with appropriate University offices to identify, assess, manage, and respond to potential threats and support prevention and early-intervention strategies.
• Regulatory Compliance and Reporting
  • Ensures departmental compliance with federal and state laws and applicable regulatory, reporting, records-management, and law enforcement requirements.
  • Oversees University public safety responsibilities under the Clery Act, including the Annual Security Report, crime reporting and recordkeeping, emergency notifications, and timely warnings.
  • Coordinates with the University's FOIA Coordinator, General Counsel, and other appropriate offices on FOIA requests involving police reports, security video, and other Public Safety records, ensuring timely identification, preservation, and production of responsive records.
  • Maintains appropriate confidentiality and security of University, student, personnel, and law enforcement information.
  • Maintains knowledge of laws applicable to higher education public safety, including the Clery Act, Higher Education Opportunity Act, FERPA, FOIA, and other relevant requirements.
• Security Technology and Infrastructure
  • Provides leadership and operational input regarding University security infrastructure and public safety technology.
  • Collaborates with Information Technology, Facilities Management, and other departments regarding video surveillance, electronic access control, emergency notification, communications, dispatch, and other security technologies.
  • Evaluates public safety technologies and recommends investments to improve campus safety, operational effectiveness, officer safety, and emergency preparedness.
  • Participates in developing policies, protocols, and standards governing public safety and security technologies.
• Parking, Transportation, and Traffic Safety
  • Provides executive oversight of University parking enforcement, traffic management, and related public safety responsibilities.
  • Develops and recommends parking and traffic policies and ensures appropriate enforcement.
  • Collaborates with University departments and external partners to address pedestrian, vehicle, bicycle, and other transportation safety concerns.
  • Coordinates traffic and parking management for major campus events.
  • Operates a university or personal vehicle safely while carrying out job responsibilities.

Requirements

• Education: Bachelor's degree in criminal justice, public administration, law enforcement, emergency management, or a related field.
• Work Experience: A minimum of 8 years of progressively responsible experience in law enforcement, public safety, or a closely related field, including substantial supervisory and management experience in a sworn law enforcement environment. Demonstrated experience managing personnel, departmental operations, budgets, policies, and complex public safety matters.
• Licenses and Certifications: Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards (MCOLES) certified or certifiable within 90 days of hire. Valid driver's license.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in criminal justice, public administration, emergency management, higher education administration, organizational leadership, or a related field.
• Experience providing leadership within a college or university law enforcement or public safety environment.
• Experience leading a complex law enforcement or public safety organization.
• Completion of an advanced law enforcement leadership program such as the FBI National Academy, Northwestern University Center for Public Safety, National Sheriffs' Association, or comparable executive leadership program.
• Experience with emergency management, emergency operations centers, incident command, crisis response, or continuity planning.
• Experience with campus security technologies, including video surveillance, electronic access control, emergency notification, and public safety communications systems.
• Experience developing collaborative relationships with community organizations and local, state, and federal law enforcement and emergency response agencies.

Benefits

Comprehensive benefit package including health care and vacation. Admin / Admin Temp Benefit Plans.

Schedule

Full-time, 12-month position.

Physical Demands

• Office environment
• Bending, carrying, inclement weather, moving, reaching, sitting, twisting, driving, repetitive movement, standing

The selected candidate for this position must be authorized to work in the United States at the time of hire without employer assistance or sponsorship now or in the future.