Cal Poly Humboldt appoints new police chief | Lost Coast Outpost

Press release from Cal Poly Humboldt:

Greg Allen (’94, social work), a Cal Poly Humboldt graduate whose professional and personal roots run deep in Humboldt, has been named assistant vice president for safety and community welfare for the University Police Department.

Allen took office on Monday, May 20, and brings more than twenty years of experience in law enforcement, emergency preparedness and building community policing partnerships.
“This is a great opportunity to lead the department while understanding the needs of students, staff, faculty and members of our local community,” says Allen.

“We are excited to have Greg Allen join the university. He is a strong leader with experience building teams, fostering an inclusive environment and strengthening partnerships,” says Gordon. “He has a passion and dedication to 21st century policing. We look forward to Greg Allen’s ability to continue to evolve our department in line with our polytechnic transformation.”

Allen returns to where it all began: as a student at Cal Poly Humboldt and later with the University Police Department, where he served as a deputy sergeant from 2000 to 2005. Allen became a parole officer with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and later a deputy/lieutenant with the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office.

“I was a teenager when I came here. I grew up at Cal Poly Humboldt as a student and later became a police officer. For me, it’s come full circle and like coming home,” says Allen.

A proud alumnus and graduate of the social work program, Allen says faculty and administration played a major role in his success as a student. His mentors included RW Hicks, who was director of the Student Academic Services Outreach Program and the state Talent Search TRIO Program at Humboldt.

“RW is one of the reasons I came here,” says Allen, who participated in the Educational Opportunity Program. “He was a role model of leadership and inspired me to take on a leadership role as president of the Black Student Union.”
He says the knowledge and skills he acquired in the social work program and his minor in anthropology are fundamental to his approach to law enforcement today.

“I have learned to avoid generalizations. Every person should be treated with respect and fairness. It is important that officers are sensitive to a person’s past because everyone has a story that makes them who they are today,” he says.

He passes this knowledge on to the police candidates at the College of the Redwoods Police Academy. “I believe in communicating what you are doing and why. With these skills, you can defuse a situation. In a world where everyone’s needs are constantly evolving, it is also crucial to learn to adapt to the police force.”

Allen says his top priority will be building relationships by having conversations with the campus and local community about what policing looks like at a university versus a city. He also plans to understand the strengths of the UPD while providing additional training that may be needed to better serve the campus community.

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