Earl Lawson is the university’s new chief of police. Lawson served in a number of important roles since joining the University Police Department in 1995, most recently as operations lieutenant and briefly as interim police chief upon the retirement of former chief Fred Hardee last June.

President Dianne Harrison said Lawson was selected for the breadth of his experience, which includes special training in disaster preparedness and collaboration with local law enforcement.

Lawson, who was sworn in Nov. 1, has a B.A. degree in sociology from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. His extensive professional education includes training at the FBI National Academy.