John N. Vinson, who currently is undersheriff for the Isabella County Sheriff's Department in Mount Pleasant, Mich., has been selected as the chief of police at the University of Washington. His appointment will be effective in February 2009.
Vinson, who holds a Ph.D. in public administration from Western Michigan University, has 15 years of law enforcement experience, including ten years of supervisory and administrative experience.
"We are delighted to bring John Vinson to the UW as our new chief of police," said Vice Provost for Student Life Eric Godfrey. "He has an exceptional combination of policing and management skills, as well as an accomplished educational background. Under his leadership, I am confident the UW Police department will continue to provide outstanding service in keeping our community safe for our students, faculty, and staff."
As the second in command in Isabella County since 2005, Vinson directs and organizes the day-to-day operation of the divisions of the department, including road patrol, the detective bureau, records and jail operations. Isabella County has a population of 65,000. The department has a 196 bed jail, 60 employees, three labor unit contracts and a $4.2 million budget.
Vinson also worked at the Central Michigan University Police Department in Mount Pleasant from 1996 to 2004, serving first as a police officer and for six years as a sergeant. Central Michigan has an on campus student population of more than 19,500.
Vinson holds a bachelor of science in business administration from Central Michigan and a master of science in administration. He also has received training at the FBI National Academy.
The UW Police Department, a CALEA accredited police agency with a staff of 100, including 50 commissioned officers, provides law enforcement to a campus population of roughly 67,000 students, faculty, and staff. Among the services it provides are crime prevention, uniformed patrol response, crowd control, dignitary protection, facilities security, traffic control and enforcement, criminal investigations, and emergency management.
Vinson's annual salary will be $160,000.
