Gary Williams (pictured) is the Penn Police chief (photo from Penn Division of Public Safety).
Penn Chief of Police Gary Williams has left his role with the Division of Public Safety.
Williams will now serve as the director of community outreach and engagement, according to a statement from Vice President for Public Safety Kathleen Shields Anderson. Deputy Chief Derrick Wood will serve as interim chief.
Williams was originally appointed chief of police on Jan. 17, 2023 after being named interim chief in May 2022. He served as an officer for the Philadelphia Police Department before joining DPS in 2001.
Williams served as sergeant patrol, executive lieutenant, liaison to student groups on campus, and captain of patrol before becoming chief. He has helped develop the strategic crime prevention west end grid patrol and spent time as an emergency response team leader and a member of the DPS Union negotiation team.
The role of director of community outreach and engagement “will be dedicated to building and sustaining relationships with the community we serve in West Philadelphia,” Anderson wrote in a statement to The Daily Pennsylvanian.
Williams’ new position will focus on implementing projects that examine how and what the Penn Police Department communicates to the University community, Anderson added.
He has previously been involved with the Police Athletic League — which aims to engage with children in the community — and will continue his commitment to this group in his new position. He will also assist with revising DPS’ community surveys.
Before joining DPS as the deputy chief of police operations in July 2023, Wood served as a police inspector for PPD for 24 years, later becoming the Municipality of Norristown's Chief of Police. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy.
While with PPD, Wood worked to develop police-driven programs to improve how police officers interact with the residents they serve. These programs included SAT tutoring for high school students, connecting adults lacking high-school diplomas with GED programs, and hosting job fairs. Wood has also worked with the Police Athletic League.
Wood holds a master’s degree of business administration and bachelor of science in business administration degrees from Holy Family University in Philadelphia.
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