With the new school year came the new police chief on the Sacramento State campus.

Continuing the tradition of effective policing and building a safer campus is what Dan Davis, who was appointed chief of police on Sept. 1, said he wants to accomplish for Sac State.

Davis started his law enforcement career as a police officer and worked his way up the ranks because he had the desire to help those in need.

“I wanted to counsel people and help them solve their problems,” Davis said.

He started as a lieutenant, the second-in-command, at Sac State eight years ago after relocating from San Francisco where he served as a police captain at San Francisco State University for 16 years.

In addition to working for San Francisco State, Davis has worked for the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) and Fremont police.

Davis said that one of the biggest differences between Sac State and San Francisco State is, although Sac State is located in the state capital, there were more political activists at San Francisco State.

“I believe it’s because Sacramento State is more of a commuter campus where most people are focused on attending classes and getting their academic work out of the way,” he said.

Davis said he enjoys the Sacramento community because “it is not only a beautiful environment, people are friendly and it’s an open, accepting and supportive environment.”

As the police chief, Davis said he is qualified for the position because of his experience, background and connections in law enforcement.

When Chief Ken Barnett retired this fall after 29 years at Sac State, Davis was one of five finalists considered for the chief position.

“I went through a process of application, interviews and assessments and community presentations to get to where I am today,” Davis said.

The selection process started with the search committee, which included Sac State faculty members and a student.

The search committee “reviews all applications and interviews references, then recommends a short list to be evaluated in an assessment center,” said William Vizzard, criminal justice division chair and a member of the search committee.

After the search committee reviews and recommends candidates, the assessment center narrows down the list further so that the selecting officials can make the final decision.

As the police chief, Davis is now in charge of 21 officers, 30 community service officers, five dispatchers and eight staff members and student assistants.

Davis plans to increase the department’s visibility on campus as well as having campus police be more approachable for students, faculty and staff.

“I would like to make it a safe, educational environment for everyone, especially the students who come here,” he said. “So they get an education in a safe environment where they don’t have to worry about crime or being victimized.”

Davis said he cares tremendously about the campus and he enjoys coming to work every day because Sac State is a fun place to be.

“You can just feel the support from everyone on campus, from the students to the president,” he said.

For Sgt. Greg Revelez, who has been working at Sac State for 23 years, Davis’ professional attitude is what makes working with him enjoyable.

“Ever since he’s been working here and I’ve known him, he has always been very professional at everything he does about his work and dealing with outside agencies and members of the community,” Revelez said. “His works have always been very professional and I believe he represents the department very well.”

Revelez, who has known Davis for eight years, said Davis is an ideal boss because he is a good leader.

“He is the kind of boss who will allow you to do your job and doesn’t micromanage,” he said. “He is real good about letting you do your own job.”

Along with being an approachable boss, Davis is a good mentor to those who work for him, Revelez said.

“He has helped me out a lot and shown me the correct way of doing things without being too bossy,” he said. “He is really good about making sure that people are progressing in their careers.”

Davis enjoys working at a university because he said it is a unique environment.

“It’s a much more exciting environment to be working with students and helping them experience education,” Davis said.

Revelez said while the changes may not be drastic, Davis will continue to improve the department with approachable police and higher visibility on campus.

With Davis as chief, the department will continue to provide customer service, Revelez said.

“We’re starting to do customer service and community oriented policing a lot more than we used to do,” he said.

Miyu Kataoka can be reached at [email protected].