To the Pioneer family: happy New Year.

One of the wonderful features of a new year is the many possibilities that it holds. We can reinvent, revise, promote, support and promise to be better. The University Police Department is no different. This year we plan to become more engaged in the campus community through community policing efforts; including mentoring and improving our relationships with our campus community and surrounding neighbors.

I am proud to say that several of UPD members will receive their degrees this year. I am a staunch supporter of continued education and I am among the five sworn personnel who will be receiving a CSUEB degree.

As UPD’s Chief, I am also excited to have entered into a partnership with the Pioneer staff to reach its readers so they can ask questions of the department, and to become a more transparent, open department. I welcome members of the campus to go on a ride-along, have “Coffee with a Cop” and participate in brown bag lunch sessions with me, UPD Chief Sheryl Boykins.

I feel that many issues can be solved through being accessible and through dialogue.

So please engage with us, discuss your concerns with the UPD team and let’s work at creating stronger lines of communication and a better understanding between police and community.

In future articles I will post crime trends on the campus, safety tips and challenges and events within the department. I look forward to hearing from you, the CSUEB campus community.