“There has to be a better way,” new Los Rios Community College District Chief of Police Harvey Woo said, when reflecting on the limitations of aggressive law enforcement in solving societal issues. He recently became chief of police in August of this year. 

Woo immigrated from Hong Kong to the United States as a child, attended Sacramento schools and joined the Army before pursuing a career in law enforcement. He worked for the Sacramento Sheriff’s Department for 26 years, where he also recounted a competitive recruitment process. Through this experience, he emphasizes the importance of showing up every day and doing the best job possible to set an example for others. He said he aims to take a humanistic approach to safety.

Can you tell me about your journey from starting as deputy to the role you have now as chief of police? 

I worked at the Sacramento Sheriff’s Department for a long time, over 26 years. In 2012 I retired. And then fast forward, I took a job as the chief of police for Twin Rivers [Unified School District] a year later. And Twin Rivers, you see, that’s a school district where three school districts [are] combined. So I was there for about three years, and then I transitioned over to Sac State Police Department. As the operator, as the patrol commander, and I was there for about eight years.

How do you think that [past experience] will impact your leadership at City College?

I think it comes down to this: There’s a recognition somewhere along the line to lead people, you have to show them. You can’t lead people by telling them. To show people what you do, who you are, you have to do this every day. Then, because if you do this on a daily basis, you could affect people’s perception and how they want to do their job too.

How did you develop your philosophy? And what was the turning point?

I don’t know if there’s a pivotal turning point. It’s not like this one incident that is like, Oh, wow. I have this clarity. … So you got to understand, there are certain pivotal points in law enforcement that’s global. [The year] 1999, that’s when Columbine happened. You know, the one that really shocked the conscience of everyone about a school being shot up by a bunch of students, but two students killing fellow students, 

Then two years later, the World Trade Center came down. Law enforcement [was] being looked at as heroes, because we law enforcement officers, firefighter died [trying] to save people in the two World Trade [buildings] that came down in New York. [There was a] huge public display of affection and admiration for police and fire. Then fast forward … you have Ferguson. Then you have George Floyd, right? So actions of a few bad police, that’s inexcusable what they did. Right now, it’s being seen as what all police do, [as] if all the cops are like that. Well, it’s not true, right? No different than when 9/11 occurred, not every police officer ran into the building to save people, only those in New York did that.

What is your vision for the Los Rios Police Department (LRPD) as police chief, and how do you plan to execute it? 

My vision is that the police department is an integral part of campus life. We’re not [a] stand-alone [organization], and our No. 1 charge is safety. But what are we providing in terms of safety? We also have to facilitate emotional safety. When we talk about safety, [it] is like this: One is that the person reporting the incident has to be heard. They cannot be marginalized. We have to make sure that people’s voices are heard. You know, each situation has to be taken at face value as being valid. At the same time, there’s certain things called due process, meaning I have to observe not only the rights of the student, but also the person that is being alleged [as the perpetrator].

I understand you’re spearheading the launch of our new SAFE Los Rios app. What can students and faculty expect differently from previous digital endeavors?

Well, I’m not spearheading it but I’m part of the process. The SAFE Los Rios App is actually a great tool because it really gives to students and to anyone who will opt into the app a lot of resources. Because in the app, not only do you get notifications and also you could use that app to notify police when you need service. So wherever you are within the boundary of the campus, you can alert the police where you are just by using the app. And it will use the cell sites to identify whether in person those sending the apps at. 

Also through that app, you could get information like fire evacuation plans [and] major emergencies. So all this information will be part of the app. Not only just for communication, but also for getting resource information.

What will the new Public Safety Advisory Committee look like, and how do you think it will impact the safety of the students?

The Public Safety Advisory Committee is going to be made up of different groups. There’s going to be student [body] groups, faculty groups and also by the staff. I believe that’s going to be also by some efficacy groups too. One thing about the advisory board, it has the tendency of growing … but if the advisory board gets too big, it has a tendency to be bogged down by minutiae. I don’t know the actual composition at this point, but it has to represent the whole spectrum of the campus community. 

This Q&A has been edited for length and clarity.