By Christine Lee

Staff Writer

Recently appointed chief of police for CSUSM university, Robert McManus, has some ideas on how to better improve campus safety and his plans for the future.

McManus had served as interim UPD Chief of Police since 2012 and as a Police Lieutenant since 2005. In total, he has 28 years of law enforcement experience, 26 of those in University law enforcement.

“Community relations and interaction is important. They are going to have a key component to what is working and what is not,” McManus said.

Within his last five years with UPD, McManus has overseen threat assessment investigations and has been fundamental in building the foundation of the UPD that we see today. He looks forward to the continued development of the current system.

Some fundamental goals of his are to expand investigation units to identity problems early and uphold a proactive approach. A role McManus plans to take is enhancing safety awareness on campus.

“We’re going to allocate resources to help educate the campus community on preparedness for earthquakes and evacuations as part of our emergency management component,” McManus said.

McManus began his career with the SDSU police department and was promoted up the ranks. In 1997, he attended the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) and became a Special Agent with the Diplomatic Security Service of the U.S. State Department. He was responsible for providing executive protection for the Secretary of State and visiting Foreign Ministers as well as counter-terrorism investigations.

“It was a great experience. I saw some amazing things. It served me well and my time there has helped me in the Universities,” McManus said.

McManus was named Chief of Police for the CSUSM University Police Department (UPD) on Oct. 31.