Dennis Jeffrey speaks to the media outside of Blankenship Hall Wednesday. Credit: Bailey Johnston | Lantern Reporter
Ohio State has appointed Ohio State University Police Department Deputy Chief Dennis Jeffery as its new chief of police.
With 27 years of experience in law enforcement, Jeffrey will become Ohio State’s 12th chief of police starting Friday.
“[Jeffrey] has three decades of law enforcement experience and has worked in support of Ohio State’s community for a majority of his career, both with OSUPD and in various roles while at Columbus Police,” Monica Moll, interim chief of police and associate vice president of Ohio State’s Department of Public Safety, said in an Oct. 24 press release. “He is well positioned to lead OSUPD and continue the important partnerships we have with local, state and federal agencies that help keep our campus safe.”
Jeffrey will replace Kimberly Spears-McNatt, who he said helped teach him the importance of accountability within the police department. Now, he said he hopes to carry this value into his new role.
“We always want to be accountable,” Jeffrey said. “So, [Spears-McNatt] really held that to the highest level. We know we’re really providing a service, and we want to make sure that service is the highest level, and we want our officers to be accountable. So, if they’re not doing something — maybe right, or something we can improve on — I certainly want to know that and work on it.”
Jeffrey said his career in law enforcement began as a police officer for the Columbus Division of Police, where he worked in “Zone Four,” or the University District. He then served 11 years as a sergeant before being promoted to lieutenant for eight more years.
Jeffrey finished his last two years at CPD as a commander for the department’s homicide bureau, before joining OSUPD in 2022.
“So as a Zone Four commander, I had a lot of connection with Ohio State,” Jeffrey said. “We’d have some common issues that we would address together, and we really enjoyed working with them. So, when the opportunity came open, I really thought that’d be a natural fit for me to kind of transition.”
In addition to his prior experience with Ohio State through his time with CPD, Jeffrey said his familiarity with the university dates back several decades, as he and most of his family members are alumni.
“I grew up in the shadow of Ohio State, went to Ohio State; two of my three children went to Ohio State,” Jeffrey said. “My wife went to Ohio State.”
Jeffrey said his connection to the university has given him a thorough understanding of how safety impacts students’ lives on and off campus. It also allows him to connect with parents who might have concerns while their children are away from home.
“I think it gives me a unique perspective because as not only a [former] student myself, but as a parent, I do understand when parents have some concerns, and I don’t want them to feel like I don’t understand that,” Jeffrey said. “So, that’s really what I want to impart; I have that perspective, and I kind of understand it.”
Jeffrey said though off-campus crime is a large challenge for OSUPD, the department will continue to collaborate with CPD to ensure students’ safety through its joint patrol and crime interdiction programs.
“We’re looking at: How much could we help with that policing for [off-campus] areas and really being a collaborative partner with CPD?” Jeffrey said. “We don’t want it to feel like that’s a problem across the street. We want to say, ‘That’s our students. We should have some accountability as well.’”
As Ohio State’s chief of police, Jeffrey said he will encourage students to be vigilant as they travel to on- and off-campus areas by eliminating distractions and being aware of their surroundings.
“I know it sounds cliche, but really, stay observant,” Jeffrey said. “I think a lot of times, we’re preoccupied with cell phones and earbuds, and we aren’t really looking around us. Certainly, crime sometimes is just sporadic — you can’t control it — but a lot of times, if you understand your environment and maybe see a threat before it happens, you have an opportunity to maybe get away from that before it does happen.”
