University Police Chief Robyn Hearne has decided to retire, according to an internal memo sent out Monday.
Hearne cited wanting to pursue other opportunities and spend more time with family as reasons for her retirement.
“Having spent 11 years on campus, and here at UPD serving with so many great people, it is bittersweet to finish what has been a wonderful career,” she wrote in the memo.
Statewide University Police Association President Jeff Solomon said that Chico State has not had a good track record when it comes to police chiefs in recent years after the retirement of former chief Eric Reichel in Nov. 2011.
“If you look back to Chief Reichel or now Chief Hearne, there’s a long-standing history of chiefs leaving under a cloud at Chico State,” he said.
During Hearne’s tenure as chief she received low rankings from her subordinates during leadership surveys conducted by the police officer’s union. In 2012, Hearne scored second-to-last out of 23 police chiefs at the California State University campuses.
In 2013, while showing some improvement, Hearne still scored low in the rankings.
Hearne has agreed to remain in the position until the next chief is hired, according to the memo. There is no indication in the memo of when a new chief would be selected.
David McVicker can be reached at [email protected] or @DavidPMcVicker on Twitter.
