The Los Rios Community College District has four major campuses and six learning centers, serving 70,000 students across the Sacramento area, according to the Los Rios website. The district has been searching for a new police chief since October 2023 following the previous chief’s retirement.

The police chief for the LRCCD is responsible for managing the activities and operations of the Los Rios Police Department, which includes ensuring safety and security services across all campuses and district locations. Additionally, the chief serves as the district’s liaison to local law enforcement and emergency services. They play a vital role in aligning the department’s policing practices with the needs and values of the colleges and students they serve, according to LRCCD Chief Strategies and Communication Officer Gabe Ross in an interview with the Current in 2023.

“Los Rios ran a comprehensive process and a national search to find our Chief of Police, and we were ultimately thrilled to have hired Harvey Woo to fill this role,” Ross told the Current in an email.

Ross outlined the selection process, and the criteria deemed important by a committee of stakeholders throughout the district. He said there were also community forums to gather insights from students, faculty and staff.

The criteria the committee prioritized in the appointment of a new chief were “equity-mindedness, understanding of the communities we serve, effective communication, transparency and accountability,” according to Ross.

“Chief Woo demonstrated a track record of authentic personal integrity and a deep commitment to understanding the needs of our campus communities,” Ross said.

Ross added that Woo’s experience in the Twin Rivers Unified School District Police Department and the Sacramento State University Police Department set him apart and demonstrated his deep understanding of the specific needs of law enforcement in an educational environment.

Woo began his role as police chief for the Los Rios District in August. Woo brings a rich background, experience and vision for the district, which he shared in a recent interview with the Current.

“I love working at Los Rios because it’s like coming home for me,” Woo said.

Woo grew up in the Sacramento area and graduated from CK McClatchy High School before attending Sacramento City College and Cosumnes River College. He obtained a master’s degree in emergency services administration from CSU Long Beach and a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from CSU Sacramento.

Woo began his career as a deputy with the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department and was eventually promoted to lieutenant, working there for a total of 26 years. He then worked as chief of police for the Twin Rivers Unified School District for three years. He most recently served as a lieutenant with the Sacramento State Police Department for eight years.

Working in education is something Woo has become passionate about since working with Twin Rivers, and he says he believes community colleges are a special place.

“Community college is truly the most impactful education,” Woo said.

Woo values the power of community colleges to inspire growth and success in their student bodies. He emphasized that the benefits of attending a community college can often be underestimated.

“I think community college is so understated. It’s so impactful to people who want to really grow, not just career-wise, but personal development, and also, it’s the gateway for people to change their economic conditions,” Woo said.

While Woo has attended and worked at different schools, he finds his experiences within the community college system to be meaningful in a unique way. He emphasized that community colleges provide the best environment for students to truly grow and gain both knowledge and confidence.

When asked about what goals he has for the department, Woo said his primary focus is capacity building and bringing in people that have the right attitude to work in an education environment.

Woo hopes to foster an inclusive and supportive environment on every Los Rios campus, noting that each campus resembles its own little city, and culture and values may vary.

“We want a department that reflects the schools’ values and creates goals and objectives that are aligned with the student and the faculty’s priorities,” Woo said.

He mentioned that the formation of the Public Safety Advisory Board allows the department to gather those insights from the community and make changes accordingly.

“It’s about getting stakeholders, like students, faculty, community members, to identify what is important on the campus, and how can police and police officers enhance the environment?” Woo said.

He acknowledges the differences between working for the city and a college.

“I think that our approach is more in alignment of, we’re not crime fighting. We are peacekeepers. So, we feel the main priority for us is still the safety of our students, our staff, our faculty members and our visitors. But at the same time, we are also understanding that a lot of the demand for us is not just physical safety but emotional safety,” Woo said.

Woo recognizes the importance of students’ mental health and well-being, making it a priority to provide essential services to those who are struggling.

“We are working on partnering up with mental health providers on our campus to make sure that our students, when they’re in crisis, receive adequate service,” Woo said.

Woo noted that the LRPD serves as an integral component of the community and plays a significant role within the district.

“We want to make sure that our police officers understand that we are part of the campus community, and we’re not a stand-alone stand-aside component, we are a very intricate fabric of this overarching Los Rios community,” Woo said.

Woo and the LRPD are working on new ways to serve the students as well as possible, implementing fresh tools that can provide better overall service and experience.

“One of the things that the Los Rios Police Department and the Los Rios Community College District really focus on is the safety of our offices, students, staff and faculty members, so we’re utilizing technology to help us enhance and communicate with our constituents,” Woo said.

He encourages students to download the app Safe Los Rios. It provides valuable information and resources for students and is also a way to communicate with the police department and service providers, according to Woo.

In his free time, Woo loves to travel and is an avid skier. He enjoys being active and being outdoors.

“On a weekend, you’ll find me paddleboarding over at the American River,” Woo said.