New Chief of Police Appointed

Dennis DeMaio, a 38-year law enforcement veteran, has been named Cal State Fullerton's university chief of police. The appointment is effective Jan. 17.

As university chief of police, DeMaio will be responsible for overall leadership and operations of a fully empowered professional police department on the 236-acre campus. The University Police Department is charged with protecting the university community through a comprehensive public safety program, including crime prevention, criminal investigations, community service and training.

DeMaio’s “extensive knowledge in law enforcement and emergency management will enable him to further enhance university emergency preparedness,” said William “Bill” Barrett, interim vice president for administration and finance/CFO.

He will lead a 63-member department, which was the first in the CSU to earn accreditation, most recently granted by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies. The department's ranks currently include 27 fully sworn police officers.

DeMaio comes from the Orange County Sheriff's Department, where his assignment for the past eight years was as airport operations division commander/chief of airport police services at John Wayne Airport.

Prior to joining the Sheriff's Department, he was a lieutenant in the Clairton Police Department in Clairton, Pa.

DeMaio, an Orange County resident, succeeds Judith D. King, the first female chief in the CSU system, who served for more than 12 years in that post before her retirement in 2011. She has continued to serve in a part-time capacity “to ensure a smooth leadership transition,” Barrett noted.

Kandy Mink Salas, associate vice president for student affairs, chaired the eight-member search committee that recommended DeMaio for the position.

Media Contacts:
Christopher Bugbee, Public Affairs, 657-278-8487, cbugbee@fullerton.edu
Paula Selleck, Public Affairs, 657-278-4856, pselleck@fullerton.edu
Mimi Ko Cruz, Public Affairs, 657-278-7586, mkocruz@fullerton.edu