On Thursday, Florida State University declared that Jason Trumbower, who has served for 26 years in the FSU Police Department, is the new chief of police after a nationwide search. He will commence his new responsibilities immediately. 

Since January, Trumbower has been acting as FSU’s Interim Chief of Police and had previously taken on the role of Interim Deputy Chief of Police for the last 11 months. 

Kyle Clark, Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration, stated that Trumbower’s operational expertise and collaborative mindset are valuable to the department. 

“The protection of our students and the entire campus community is paramount,” Clark expressed. “I am delighted that Chief Trumbower is assuming this role. His commitment to public safety, extensive experience, and understanding of the FSU and Tallahassee communities make him an outstanding choice to head the FSU Police Department.” 

Trumbower graduated from FSU in 1998 with a degree in criminology and played football under Coach Bobby Bowden in 1994-1995. 

In his new position, Trumbower will lead the FSU Police Department, a fully accredited law enforcement organization with approximately 91 sworn officers located in Tallahassee and Panama City. He will oversee all law enforcement activities for FSU. 

“As an alumnus of FSU and a former student-athlete, Chief Trumbower has a profound dedication to the FSU community,” remarked Barbara O’Connor, assistant vice president for Public Safety. “He has excelled during his interim position, and I anticipate collaborating with him to enhance the services provided by FSU Police to our community.” 

Trumbower will manage the daily functions of the FSU Police Department, including Patrol, School Resource Officers, Security Team, Dispatch, Accreditation, Training, Evidence, and Investigations. His responsibilities will involve building and maintaining partnerships with local law enforcement agencies, university departments, news outlets, social service organizations, and public interest groups to disseminate information about crime prevention and criminal activities. 

“I am incredibly privileged to take on this role and am eager to guide FSUPD in a positive direction,” Trumbower stated. “We have an exceptional team here at FSU, and many fantastic individuals have supported my journey to this position. Growing up in Tallahassee and graduating from FSU makes this university incredibly meaningful to me. I deeply appreciate my family, my FSUPD colleagues, and my professional network for their unwavering support over the years.” 

During his time as Interim Chief and Interim Deputy Chief, Trumbower spearheaded initiatives that resulted in an increase in hiring, thus lowering vacancy rates for the first time since 2021; worked in collaboration with FSU Athletics, Student Affairs, and the ticket office to modify and improve operations in the student section at FSU football matches; expanded the department’s Field Training Team by 30%, which enabled more candidates to be recruited simultaneously; and led the implementation of the “Heads Up” Pedestrian Safety Campaign, partnering with University Communications, Student Affairs, and the City of Tallahassee to enhance awareness. 

After joining FSUPD in 1999, Trumbower progressed through the ranks from patrol officer to Captain of the Operations Division, a position he occupied for 13 years. In this role, he provided guidance, vision, and leadership across all facets of the division, encompassing Main Campus Patrol, the Panama City Branch Campus, Special Operations, and Communications. This role included overseeing all security and law enforcement for special events, athletic activities, concerts, political gatherings, and specialized operational details within the university. 

Trumbower’s selection concludes a national recruitment process facilitated by the LINDAUER search firm and led by Renisha Gibbs, associate vice president for Human Resources and chief of staff for Finance & Administration. 

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