February 6, 2003

Police Chief Chafin announces retirement

University Chief of Police Saul Chafin has announced that he will retire in June.

After six years as chief, Chafin’s last day at Northwestern will be spent at the June 20 commencement ceremony.

Chafin said he will decide on his retirement plans after he and his wife, Katy, take a vacation trip.

Senior Vice President for Business and Finance Eugene S. Sunshine has appointed a committee to assist him in selecting Chafin’s successor.

Sunshine praised Chafin’s accomplishments, saying, “His service has been marked by many significant contributions to improve campus safety and strengthen the professionalism of the University Police department.

“Above all else, Chief Chafin communicates effectively with all segments of the community, earning their trust and respect. He handles difficult situations with tact and diplomacy, resolving many conflicts by his personal intervention. He is at the top of a very short list of the best in the country.”

Christopher Johnson, director of risk management, will serve as chair of an advisory committee to seek a successor to University Chief of Police Saul Chafin.

In announcing formation of the committee, Senior Vice President for Business and Finance Eugene S. Sunshine said the members will screen resumes, interview leading candidates and provide candidate evaluations to him.

Other members are:

Mary Desler, associate vice president, Student Affairs; Tracy Dumas, student, Kellogg School of Management; Brad Hurlbut, associate director of external affairs, Athletics; Ed Kerros, director, finance and administration, School of Law; Amy Mayber, associate general counsel, Office of Gen-eral Counsel; Brian Peters, director, University Services; Larry Pinto, professor of neurobiology and physiology; Shericka Pringle, business coordinator, Preventative Medicine; Edith Rivera, junior, School of Communi-cation; Eric Wachtel, assistant director, Budget Office; Alexander Weiss, director, Center for Public Safety; and Steven Zecker, professor of communication sciences and disorders.

Chafin was appointed chief in 1996. Under his direction, University Police:

• Increased enforcement of traffic and other laws in areas adjacent to the Evanston campus after securing approval of an expanded mutual aid agreement between the Evanston and University police departments. The efforts are made possible by close cooperation with the Evanston Police Department in many areas.

• Expanded training of police officers, including 40 hours of training for all officers, classes on human relations, and increased opportunities for external educational courses. All University Police officers are graduates of a state certified police academy and most have bachelor’s degrees.

• Improved the Community Oriented Policing program, working closely with students, staff and faculty to create a safe living, learning and research environment for both campuses.

• Improved and expanded the professionalism and diversity of the department to strengthen its partnership with the University community in crime prevention, law enforcement, parking control, emergency response, policing of athletic and special events and various services on both campuses, including crime prevention talks, parking enforcement and security surveys.

• Modernized the campus radio communication system and helped to implement the Enhanced 911 system.

• Increased the number of Rape Aggression Defense (RAD) classes to teach women how to defend themselves if they are victims of an attack, using self-defense tactics and risk reduction strategies. The sessions are held twice each quarter on both campuses.

Before joining Northwestern, Chafin served as director of police and security at Vanderbilt for 13 years and as director of police and security at Harvard University from1978 to1983.

At Harvard, Chafin served as the chief law enforcement officer and criminal justice advisor, with responsibility for management and supervision of a police and security force on the Cambridge, Allston/Brighton and Roxbury campuses.

Prior to joining Harvard, Chafin served the University of Massachusetts at Amherst as director of security (1977-78) and associate director of security (1972-77), with responsibilities for directing the administrative and operations functions of a police and security guard force.

Chafin began his professional career at the Hartford (Conn.) Police Department in 1961 after graduation at the top of his police recruit class. He moved up in the department ranks from patrolman to detective to sergeant before accepting the position at Massachusetts.

A native of Hartford, Chafin attended Springfield College, Springfield, Mass., and Virginia Union University, Richmond, Va., and received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He has completed advanced courses at the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Va., and has served as a consultant to several law enforcement agencies.