LMU has named Robbie Williams as chief of Public Safety to lead a multifaceted, 24/7/365 operation, that includes patrols, investigations, and dispatch. Chief Williams, who joins LMU on May 17, 2021, will be responsible for the physical safety and security of LMU’s campuses, students, employees, and visitors.
“I am deeply honored to have been selected as LMU’s new chief of Public Safety,” said Williams. “I look forward to learning from the various student groups, university staff, and faculty members about their key security and safety concerns and how Public Safety can best address their needs through listening, amplifying, and inclusion.”
Chief Williams joins LMU from the Hawthorne Police Department, where he has served as lieutenant and bureau commander of Community Affairs since 2016. In this role, his leadership and innovative strategies maximized community engagement and programmatic outcomes through evidence-based practices and effective personnel coaching. He is a 25-year veteran of the department, where he has been a detective supervisor in the special victims unit; created a cadet program for college students; and served as a watch commander, managing 90-plus police officers, 40 professional staff, and part-time employees.
Chief Williams, who holds a master’s degree in Marriage, Family and Child Therapy from University of Phoenix, has also been an instructor at California State University, Long Beach – Center for Criminal Justice Research and Training, as well as a contract instructor on verbal de-escalation, implicit bias, mental health crisis management, and police-community relations. He is co-founder of Coffee With a Cop, a program that was recognized in former President Barack Obama’s Task Force Report on 21st Century Policing. And he has published material on creating safe spaces for police-teen dialogue.
“Robbie Williams’ 25-year commitment to law enforcement and community policing, along with his experience in counseling and conflict resolution, give me great confidence in his ability to successfully lead LMU’s Department of Public Safety,” said Devra Schwartz, LMU vice president of Campus Safety and Security. “As we strive to maintain a campus where everyone feels safe and respected, Chief Williams brings the willingness to listen and engage, the drive to propel us forward, and the enthusiasm for becoming an integral part of the LMU community.”
As chief, Williams will direct the budgets, personnel, and resources tied to the unit while cultivating and stewarding relationships with all campus constituents and external leaders, including police and fire departments, the FBI, and other involved entities.
The search committee for the new chief of Public Safety was a collaborative effort that included LMU faculty, staff, students, and representatives from the Board of Trustees and colleges and divisions across the university.
Search Committee
- Devra Schwartz, Vice President of Safety and Security/Public Safety
- Roberto Aguirre, Director of Campus Safety and Compliance/Public Safety
- Bryant Keith Alexander, Dean, LMU College of Communication and Fine Arts and Interim Dean, LMU School of Film and Television
- Erin Bossen, Senior Director of Public and Media Relations/MarComm
- Chelsea Brown, Staff Senate Representative and Assistant Director of Student Programs/Service and Action
- Marne Campbell, Faculty Senate Representative and Associate Professor for African American Studies/BCLA
- Ismael Diara, Student/Brothers of Consciousness, Alpha Delta Gamma, African Student Association, Men’s Club Baseball
- Roman Flores, Public Safety Student Ambassador and RHA Liaison/Student
- Carla Marcantonio, Ex-Officio Member and Associate Professor/SFTV
- Judge John Meigs, LMU Board of Trustees
- Csilla Samay, Public Safety Advisory Committee Liaison and Assistant Dean of Students for the Office of International Students/OISS
- Edward Siebert, S.J., Rector/Jesuit Community and LMU Board of Trustees
- Sierra Smith, Student/Phi Delta Phi, Black Student Union, and Sisters of Solidarity
- Trevor Wiseman, Associate Vice President of Administration/Office of EVP
