OU President Joseph Harroz Jr. announced the hire, pending regent's approval, of a new chief of police in a mass email Monday.
Derek Fuller will serve as chief of police and associate vice president beginning Oct. 13. Fuller will lead university police and public safety functions in collaboration with the deputy chiefs of police on each campus, according to the announcement.
Fuller’s priorities will include developing risk mitigation strategies, emergency preparedness and crisis response, and community-oriented policing practices, according to the announcement.
“(He) will serve as the primary liaison between the department and university leadership to external law enforcement agencies, the communities in which our campuses reside, and additional contracted security services,” Harroz wrote.
Fuller previously served as the chief of public safety and associate vice chancellor at Alamo Colleges Police Department in San Antonio, leading the fourth-largest police department in the San Antonio metro area, Harroz wrote.
Before joining Alamo Colleges, Fuller spent 25 years at the FBI, most recently as an assistant special agent-in-charge, where he led a team of 150 special agents, staff, police and task force officers. Fuller is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and has served as a naval flight officer.
This announcement follows the retirement of former Chief of Police Nate Tarver, who served 46 years in law enforcement and about eight years as OU’s police chief.
“The safety and security of our students, faculty, staff, and all who visit our campuses is our university’s No. 1 priority, …” Harroz wrote. “Please join me in welcoming Derek to the University of Oklahoma and extending our support to him in his new role.”
Kylie Caldwell and Mary Ann Livingood copy edited this story.
