To the Hornet Family,
After 10 years of dedicated and unwavering service to the Hornet Family, police Chief Mark M. Iwasa is retiring. Chief Iwasa transformed the Sacramento State Police Department, making the campus one of the safest campuses in the CSU system. At the beginning of his appointment, he set out bold directives for the department, working to promote effective crime reduction on campus while also building community partnerships.
Chief Iwasa is a Hornet through and through, attested to by his two degrees from Sacramento State. He received a bachelor’s degree in economics with a minor in criminal justice and earned a master’s degree in public policy and administration.
While Chief Iwasa accomplished many impactful initiatives over his career, he will be best remembered for advocating, expanding, and professionalizing our Community Service Officer (CSO) program. Each year more than 70 student employees are hired to protect the people and property at Sacramento State as CSOs, acting as a bridge and liaison between sworn officers and campus constituents. Chief Iwasa mentored many CSOs who, upon graduating, now serve in law enforcement or in other community-oriented positions.
Chief Iwasa also established a robust security division within the Police Department, overseeing installation of video security systems, intrusion alarms, enhanced blue light emergency phones, and body-worn cameras for sworn officers. These initiatives were successfully implemented with a reinforced commitment to supporting a safe and secure campus.
In addition, to better serve and connect with the campus community, Chief Iwasa opened the Police Department Service Center in the University Union, providing services such as LiveScan fingerprinting and a centralized lost and found. He was also instrumental in the creation of Coffee with Cops, events that provided community members opportunities to meet with officers to build and strengthen relationships across the campus.
Chief Iwasa has accomplished much during his tenure at Sacramento State. He served the campus with distinction and care, and the Hornet Family wishes him the best in his well-deserved retirement.
The Recruitment Process
With Chief Iwasa’s planned summer departure, the campus is carefully and sensitively determining how to proceed with recruiting his successor. This position is critical, as the police chief is accountable for much more than oversight of officers and campus law enforcement. The candidate who fills this position will play a pivotal role in preparing for and responding to campus emergencies such as the pandemic and recent wildfires, serving as an incident commander in the Emergency Operations Center.
Upon consultation with President Robert S. Nelsen and Human Resources, the University is engaging an external search firm, one that will support the campus in conducting a thoughtful and community-centered recruitment for the next chief. Sacramento State is seeking candidates who understand the needs of the campus community, are committed to the tenets of
21st Century Policing, and can facilitate the process of reimagining what policing could look like on campus.
Sacramento State recognizes the importance of incorporating feedback and recommendations from the antiracist and inclusive-campus planning efforts. Most importantly, the University must ensure that the recruitment aligns with the Hornet Family values of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Sacramento State must be deeply attuned to feedback from the campus community, especially from the student body. To accomplish that, the search is prioritizing shared governance, working with ASI to identify two students to serve on the search committee. That committee will also have representation from the Faculty Senate, University Staff Assembly, and other stakeholders from across the campus.
The search firm will facilitate a number of meetings to allow stakeholders to share their thoughts about what the campus community is looking for in the next Chief of Police. The University will host open virtual forums where members of the campus community can address the final candidates. The campus community is strongly encouraged to attend the forums to ensure that voices of the Hornet Family are included during the search process.
Once the search committee is formed, additional information will be shared regarding a recruitment timeline. Sacramento State is committed to a search that is conducted with deliberate care to ensure that the next Chief of the Sacramento State Police Department serves the needs of the Hornet Family.
Please contact my office at
vp-cfo@csus.edu with any questions, concerns, or feedback.
Jonathan Bowman
Vice President for Administration/CFO.