Public safety appointments
Archived article from May 12, 2003
By Pam Orel
Roberson is named chief of police
See also:
Garcia to head emergency services
New Jersey State Police veteran Barry W. Roberson has been named chief of the Rutgers University Police effective May 5. In the post, he will oversee a department that includes 64 commissioned police officers, 60 security officers and 10 dispatchers.
In announcing the appointment, Jay Kohl, executive director of public safety, praised Roberson for his integrity and broad-based experience.
"Barry brings to the department more than 32 years of work in public safety as an officer, supervisor, administrator and consultant," Kohl said. "He also understands the proper role of the police in a culturally diverse community."
Roberson joined the state police as a road duty trooper in 1969. He rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel and deputy superintendent for operations and administration, a post he held from June 2000 to November 2001.
He was one of two internal candidates for the state police superintendent's post to win the support of the Black Ministers Council.
Roberson worked to respond to allegations that the state police practiced racial profiling, or targeting motorists based on their race. The state entered into a consent decree with the U.S. Department of Justice in 1999 to stop the practice. Roberson has since lectured widely to police agencies throughout the United States on the history and prevention of racial profiling.
Roberson left the department in 2001 to take a job with the New Jersey Turnpike Authority as director of asset management and security. He recently served as a consultant to the New York State Police.
Roberson holds a master's in public administration from Rutgers and a bachelor's degree in human services from Thomas Edison State College. He succeeds Anthony Murphy, who retired after 25 years of service.
— Pam Orel
Garcia to head emergency services John D. Garcia, a former Underwriters Laboratories representative with more than 30 years experience in fire-safety education and construction-code enforcement, has been named chief of emergency services.
In his new job, Garcia will supervise a staff of 20 in a unit that coordinates emergency response, fire inspection and public fire-safety education services for university facilities statewide. The department also provides emergency medical services for the New Brunswick/Piscataway campuses, a defensive-driving training program and related instructional courses.
In announcing the appointment, Jay Kohl, executive director of public safety, praised Garcia's extensive experience and enthusiasm for the job. "John brings to this critical public safety position a wealth of experience as a firefighter, code official and professional who has taught programs in fire safety," Kohl said. "I look forward to working with him."
"The biggest challenge in any large community is educating the public on good fire-safety practices," said Garcia, who assumed his new job April 14. "I am excited by the challenge of enhancing the safety of Rutgers' employees, students and visitors."
Garcia, a former New Jersey firefighter, served Underwriters Laboratories for three years as a regulatory services representative for the Northeast. Prior to that, he was the president of a consulting company that offered training in fire code and building safety for architects, engineers and school districts. Garcia holds a master's degree in public safety administration from St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia.
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