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