(From left) Andraea “AJ” Douglass, Deputy Chief Craig Stone, Stone’s wife Cathy, Chief Paul Denton and Vernon Baisden on May 1 for Stone’s swearing in as newest deputy chief of University Police.
Credit: Robert Scarpinito / Lantern Reporter
University Police swore in its newest deputy chief on Friday during a public ceremony.
Craig Stone was sworn in by Andraea “AJ” Douglass, Ohio State’s vice president of talent, culture and human resources, at the ceremony, which was attended by members of University Police, the Columbus Division of Police and the Department of Public Safety.
After being sworn in, University Police Chief Paul Denton reminded all who attended of the meaning of the oath Stone had taken and the badge all officers wear.
“(The badge) holds up police officers as protectors of the peace, protectors of people, protectors of rights in our society and — in the case of University Police officers — protectors of the pursuit of learning,” he said.
Stone replaces Richard Morman, the former deputy chief who worked with University Police for 28 years and retired last year.
Before coming to OSU, Stone worked with Columbus Police for 29 years, and he recently spent the past year as the director of campus safety and chief of police at Cleveland State University, according to an OSU press release.
“They (CSU) wanted me to stay. They wanted to make a counteroffer. I said, ‘I really enjoyed my time at Cleveland State University, but I wanted to come home and I wanted to be a part of Buckeye nation,’” Stone said at the event.
He also said he was proud to be working with a department that was accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, a collaboration of executive law enforcement associations that holds police departments to high standards in order to be accredited.
CALEA’s goals, according to its website, encompasses effective crime prevention, fair personnel practices and bolstering the community’s confidence in local police departments.
University Police is one of three university or college law enforcement agencies in Ohio that was given law enforcement accreditation by CALEA, according to its website.
“The university is recognized for its medical centers, academics and research, but we also want to be a leader in policing, and I’ll be a part of that in making sure that we lead that way and that we’re recognized across the country as one of the best,” Stone said.
Stone is a member of both the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators and the International Association of Chiefs of Police, and he served as two presidential terms with the State of Ohio Accreditation Resources, which represents 60 police departments in Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia seeking accreditation or reaccreditation, according to its website.
“Craig brings some talents and relationships that he’s established both at his time at Columbus Police and at Cleveland State University that will really benefit us here as he works at the University Police division of the Ohio State,” Denton said.
