Bruin alum and long-time member of the Los Angeles Police Department Craig Valenzuela has been named UCLA‘s new police chief, the school announced Monday.
Valenzuela, who grew up in Harbor City, will start his new job on the Westwood campus in September.
“I am pleased to welcome Chief Valenzuela back to UCLA to serve in this critical role,” Chancellor Julio Frenk said. “The safety of our UCLA community is a top priority, and Chief Valenzuela’s accomplishments during over two decades of law enforcement leadership make him an ideal leader for UCLA’s police department As our new Office of Campus and Community Safety continues to grow and as UCLA prepares to host the world’s Olympic and Paralympic athletes in 2028, I know Chief Valenzuela will elevate safety in a way that is inclusive and grounded in the tenets of 21st-century policing.”
Valenzuela joined the LAPD in 1996 after earning his bachelor’s degree at UCLA in political science. He served several roles during his three-decade career with the agency, including commanding officer of the North Hollywood Patrol Division and the department’s elite Metropolitan Division.
Valenzuela is a graduate of the FBI National Academy.
“I am thrilled to welcome Chief Valenzuela back to UCLA,” Associate Vice Chancellor for Campus and Community Safety Steve Lurie said. “He participated in a nationwide search, competing among exemplary leaders from across the country. Chancellor Frenk has stated that UCLA’s safety and security is his ‘meta-priority.’ As the administrator charged with carrying out that mission, I am humbled, honored and grateful to have Chief Valenzuela join our team.”
John Thomas, UCLA’s former chief of police, left the school’s police department in December. He stepped down months after violence on the campus at a pro-Palestinian encampment in early May 2024 and faced criticism for his oversight of spring protests.
The demonstrations at UCLA became part of a movement at campuses across the country against the Israel-Hamas War. At UCLA, law enforcement ordered in May that over a thousand protesters break up their encampment as tensions rose on campus.
Counter-demonstrators had attacked the encampment, injuring about a dozen people. In June, some protesters on campus were arrested after they tried to set up a new encampment.
A University of California independent review released late last year found that UCLA failed to protect students because of a “highly chaotic” decision-making process, lack of communication among campus leaders and police, and other shortfalls that led to institutional paralysis. The review conducted by a national law enforcement consulting agency found that UCLA had no detailed plan for handling major protests.
Interim Chief Scott Scheffler has led the department since December 2024.
The new chief was selected by a committee of faculty, administrators, students and staff from UCLA and law enforcement executives.