The University of Utah has named a longtime law enforcement leader from New York to be its first-ever chief safety officer — a new cabinet-level position that will oversee all aspects of security, including emergency preparedness, cyber attacks, laboratory hazards and, perhaps most importantly, campus policing.
The appointment is the biggest action the U. has taken in its wide-scale efforts to improve safety in response to the murder of track star Lauren McCluskey. Since she was killed outside her dorm in October 2018 by a man she tried to warn police about several times, students have become wary of trusting the university’s officers.