Lt. Alan Horujko is now the deputy chief of police at OSUPD, replacing Dennis Jeffery, who was formerly promoted to chief of police. Credit: Courtesy of Dan Hedman
Lt. Alan Horujko was promoted to deputy chief of police for the Ohio State University Police Department, beginning Monday.
After a decade with OSUPD, Horujko is replacing former deputy chief of police Dennis Jeffrey following his promotion to chief of police last year, per prior Lantern reporting.
“I think opportunities arise, and you can take advantage of them when they’re there,” Horujko said. “I think the right person at the right moment can make all the difference, and that’s where I try to keep myself in life.”
Jeffrey said he believes Horujko is well-suited for the job.
“We had a strong group of candidates and are excited for Alan to step into the role of Deputy Chief,” Jeffrey said in an interview with Ohio State News. “He has built relationships across campus and will help our agency continue to build and maintain trust with our community.”
As deputy chief, Horujko said he has several goals geared toward keeping students safe on campus.
“[My goals are] definitely keeping down any crime trends, reduction of crime, making sure that our students feel that they have a real safe space to continue their education and succeed in life,” Horujko said.
Horujko said he also hopes to introduce new initiatives and technologies that can help improve OSUPD’s response times and diversify the methods through which officers serve the campus community.
“We should be one of the most innovative police departments in the country, and I think that’s something we’re working towards,” Horujko said.
After Ohio State soccer player Nathan Demian was shot at 262 Chittenden Ave. in December 2024, some students and parents voiced concerns about not receiving Buckeye Alerts for violent incidents that occur just off campus, including a petition with over 1,600 signatures calling for increased funding for public safety initiatives, per prior Lantern reporting.
Buckeye Alerts are only sent when the university believes the campus community needs to take immediate action to stay safe, according to the Ohio State Department of Public Safety’s website.
Horujko said he is actively seeking feedback and working on making improvements to the Buckeye Alerts system. He also hopes to expand partnerships with the Columbus Division of Police, such as the joint patrol program and crime interdiction programs that involve both OSUPD and CDP officers.
“It’s one of my main goals to actively foster that relationship and make sure that our off-campus students feel just as safe as they do on campus,” Horujko said.
Horujko’s primary responsibility is overseeing patrol. He will manage both day and evening shifts, ensuring officers are “efficiently, strategically placed, well-staffed [and] getting to those areas that we can combat those crime trends,” he said.
In 2016, Horujko was the first officer to arrive on the scene after Abdul Razak Ali Artan drove his car into a crowd of people on campus and began attacking them with a butcher knife, injuring 13 individuals, per prior Lantern reporting. Horujko then shot and killed Artan, ending the on-campus threat.
As a result, Horujko was invited to the White House in 2019 and honored with the Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor for his actions during the 2016 incident, according to an Ohio State News announcement.
Notably, Horujko said he did not plan on becoming a police officer because his father was an engineer, and he intended to continue that legacy. He even spent his first few years at Ohio State studying in the College of Engineering.
Now, however, Horujko said he couldn’t imagine working in any other field.
“I like to say I’m a failed engineer but found a new passion when I took a student job with student safety here,” Horujko said. “I got to learn and understand what other officers are doing and how unique a university law enforcement position is, and I really kind of just found my calling.”
