ASU welcomed a new police chief weeks after the previous chief retired following paid administrative leave and sanctions from Iran.
The new ASU Police Chief John Thompson has 19 years of experience with the department and has served as interim chief since May. His new position was effective on Sept. 16.
"I am feeling excited and energized to keep the momentum of this department's many accomplishments going," John Thompson wrote in an email. "As an Assistant Chief in the department the past two years, I was highly involved in the operations and decision-making of the department, which has made the transition to this new role much easier."
John Thompson is an ASU alumnus, receiving his bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary studies and a master's degree in public administration. He is also a graduate of the 283rd Session of the FBI National Academy and teaches "Introduction to Criminal Investigations" at the University.
Thompson wrote in a statement that the department is now improving the diversity within its leadership team, and they will be adding more representation within the force.
The ASU Police Department is a 158-person team operating "24 hours a day, 365 days a year" across all campuses and University-affiliated locations, including the Mesa City Center, the Washington D.C. campus and the School of Social Work Tucson, according to a press release from ASU Media Relations.
The former ASU Police Chief Michael Thompson retired after being recorded allegedly slicing tents at the Old Main encampment in April when pro-Palestine protesters occupied the Alumni Lawn until ASU PD conducted more than 60 arrests.
READ MORE: ASU Police chief retires following period of administrative leave and sanctions from Iran
These alleged actions pushed the University to place the former police chief on paid administrative leave, and he later retired from the department three months after on Aug. 24.
The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran also sanctioned the former police chief on July 4, restricting him from entering the country, owning Iranian assets and making Iranian transactions.
"A good police chief is accountable to the people," said Boden Noel, a sophomore studying criminology and criminal justice. "They listen to the opinions that are thrown at them, and they're open-minded, and they're reflective on the history and culture of their own policing."
John Thompson said his focus is specifically on the LIFT Initiative T7, which would establish a department consisting of officers with a bachelor's degree. T7 also includes implementing a program to train officers in racial sensitivity, conflict de-escalation, and mental health and crisis intervention.
"We are a better-trained department in de-escalation and crisis intervention techniques, and we are a more educated team as we continue to require higher levels of education for advancement in our supervisor and leadership ranks," Chief John Thompson wrote in an email.
Noel said when handling situations with people of color, the department needs to be transparent.
He added that the new police chief, when facing these situations, should address that "these communities have been disproportionately affected" and that collectively as a University "We need to be self-aware, and we need to be open and actively adherent to different cultures."
Michael Scott, a clinical professor at the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice and the director of the Center for Problem-Oriented Policing, said ASU police should provide guidance to the University leadership on effective ways to keep the campus safe.
Scott also said the department should also establish lines of communication between students and faculty and should train employees on the ASU police force to treat people more gently and mindfully.
"It's not limited to ASU's campus, but just recognizing that universities that have an actual police department with sworn police officers with arrest authority face some of the same criticisms and concerns that municipal police departments do as it relates to the treatment of minority citizens," Scott said.
In the 2024 Annual Security and Fire Safety Report, John Thompson said in a time of social justice transformation, the department plays an important role in creating trust within the ASU community through "communication, listening, respect, transparency, and procedural justice, which are the pillars of our department and critical to everyone's success."
"The main difference now is my responsibility for ensuring everything in the department, and what we are responsible for, has been accounted for, assigned and carried out appropriately and timely; the buck stops with me," John Thompson wrote in an email.
Edited by George Headley, Abigail Beck, Tiya Talwar, Alysa Horton and Natalia Jarrett.
Reach the reporter at elbradfo@asu.edu and follow @emmalbradford__ on X.
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Emma is a sophomore studying journalism and mass communication and political science, with a minor in business. This is her second semester with The State Press.
