Description
Position Overview / Job Summary
The Peralta Community College District is seeking an innovative, collaborative, and mission-driven leader to serve as Lieutenant of Community Safety during a transformative moment in the District’s history.
Serving four diverse urban colleges in the San Francisco Bay Area — Laney College, Merritt College, College of Alameda, and Berkeley City College — the Department of Community Safety is building a modern, student-centered safety model grounded in trust, professionalism, accountability, student success, and community partnership.
This is not a traditional policing assignment.
The Lieutenant will help shape, from the ground up, a next-generation hybrid community safety model that integrates community engagement, wellness-centered practices, technology, emergency preparedness, and a tiered response framework into a comprehensive campus safety culture. The selected candidate will work closely with executive leadership to help operationalize a progressive vision for community safety within higher education.
The ideal candidate is an emotionally intelligent leader who values procedural justice, mentorship, problem-solving, and collaborative leadership. We are seeking someone who understands that community safety in higher education requires empathy, adaptability, professionalism, and exceptional relationship-building skills.
This position is an opportunity to help define the future of community safety in higher education.
Why Join Peralta?
- Opportunity to help build and shape a modern community safety department from the ground up
- Serve one of the most diverse student populations in California
- Work in the heart of the Bay Area across dynamic urban college campuses
- Be part of a leadership team focused on innovation, transparency, and organizational transformation
- Lead with purpose in an educational environment centered on student success and community wellness
- Help implement emerging technologies and integrated safety systems, including AI-assisted monitoring, emergency communications, and modern dispatch operations
- Opportunity to influence policy, culture, training, and operational standards during a historic transition
Key Responsibilities
- Provide day-to-day operational leadership for Community Safety personnel
- Support the development of policies, procedures, training programs, and accountability systems
- Supervise and mentor sworn and non-sworn community safety personnel
- Coordinate emergency response, incident management, and critical incident operations
- Foster collaborative relationships with students, employees, and external partners
- Promote a culture of professionalism, service, and continuous improvement
- Assist with Clery Act compliance, emergency preparedness initiatives, and campus safety programs
- Support the implementation of technology-driven public safety solutions and data-informed operations
Ideal Candidate
- The successful candidate will demonstrate:
- Strong ethical leadership and integrity
- Experience supervising teams in complex or diverse environments
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
- A community-oriented and service-driven philosophy
- Experience with higher education, urban environments, or progressive public safety models preferred
- Ability to lead organizational change and inspire personnel
- Commitment to equity, transparency, and student-centered safety practices
Requirements
Minimum Qualifications
- Possession of a California P.O.S.T. Basic Certificate and P.O.S.T. Supervisory Certificate
- Five (5) years of full-time law enforcement experience, including supervisory or leadership responsibilities
- Ability to meet the requirements of California Government Code Sections 1029, 1030, 1031, et seq.
- Valid California driver’s license or ability to obtain one prior to employment
- Valid First Aid and CPR certification, or ability to obtain within the required timeframe
Preferred Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, public administration, emergency management, behavioral sciences, or a related field
- California P.O.S.T. Management Certificate
- Experience in higher education, campus safety, community-oriented policing, or hybrid public safety environments
- Experience supervising both sworn and non-sworn personnel
- Demonstrated experience in organizational leadership, program development, policy implementation, or operational transformation
Knowledge and Leadership Areas
The successful candidate should possess knowledge of:
- Modern principles and practices of police administration and supervision
- Community-oriented safety and relationship-based public safety strategies
- Criminal law, investigations, crime prevention, and emergency response operations
- Clery Act compliance and campus safety operations
- Incident command systems and crisis response coordination
- Public speaking, communication, and stakeholder engagement
- Principles of training, mentorship, and personnel development
- Record management, reporting, and operational accountability systems
Desired Leadership Attributes
The ideal candidate will demonstrate:
- Emotional intelligence and professionalism
- Sound judgment and ethical leadership
- Strong communication and relationship-building skills
- Ability to lead within a diverse and evolving educational environment
- Commitment to student-centered and community-focused safety practices
- Collaborative leadership and mentoring abilities
- Adaptability, innovation, and problem-solving skills
Essential Abilities
- Lead and coordinate community safety and emergency response operations
- Supervise, mentor, and evaluate assigned personnel
- Respond effectively during emergencies and critical incidents
- Foster a safe and welcoming campus environment for students, faculty, staff, and visitors
- Conduct training, briefings, and public presentations
- Analyze complex situations and implement effective courses of action
- Prepare and maintain accurate reports, records, and operational documentation
- Build cooperative and effective working relationships across the District and community partners
