Chief of Police

Salary: $141,258.56 - $199,594.65 Annually
Location : Bakersfield College -- Panorama Campus, CA
Job Type: Management - Classified Administrator
Job Number: FY25-2600131
College: Bakersfield College
Department: College Safety
Opening Date: 10/03/2025
Closing Date: Continuous
Assured Consideration Date: 06/01/2026
Internal Posting Information: None


Below is our job description for this position. Please also review the Important Instructions & Additional Information section below, which contains valuable information about our application process.
Basic Function
Under general direction of the Vice President for Finance and Administration, the Chief of Police plans, directs, manages, and oversees the activities and operations of the Bakersfield College Police and College Safety Department at each campus location, including supervision of including sworn and non-sworn personnel, communications dispatch, parking program services, and emergency preparedness programs. The Chief provides leadership in emergency management, including planning, training, exercise, and regulatory compliance. The Chief partners and coordinates with the Kern Community College District Office on policies, procedures, and activities that intersect with campus safety, emergency management, and other areas of responsibility. In addition, the Chief serves as the primary College contact for emergency management, homeland security, and stakeholder engagement through outreach, training and education.

Representative Duties

1. Provides Leadership and direction to the Bakersfield College Police and College Safety Department.
2. Advises college administrators on police and security matters.
3. Directs and oversees the College's emergency preparedness to ensure compliance with Incident Command Systems (ICS), National Incident Management Systems (NIMS), and Standardized Emergency Management Systems (SEMS).
4. As necessary, responds to major incidents reported to the Police Department and ensures that the Incident Commander is following Incident Command System/Standardized Emergency Management System (ICS/SEMS) protocol; assumes role as Incident Commander or other roles as needed for the situation and works closely with the District assigned emergency preparedness coordinator; and consults with representatives of law enforcement, safety and disaster preparedness to improve interagency cooperation.
5. Develops department rules and regulations that are consistent with local, state and federal legal mandates for community college police departments.
6. Develops and implements a training program for staff in a variety of areas, including but not limited to jurisdiction, reporting procedures, use of force, weapons, laws of arrest and radio procedures.
7. Lead departmental strategic planning, policy development, and continuous quality improvement.
8. Promote transparency, accountability, and effective resource stewardship.
9. Prepares and administers the police department and college safety department budget, including staffing, equipment, and training resources; prepares recommendations and justifications regarding budget requests; authorizes expenditures according to District policies.
10. Direct all aspects of campus law enforcement and public safety, including patrol, investigations, crime prevention, traffic and parking enforcement, and event security.
11. Oversees the development and implementation of strategic and work planning activities; develops programs, goals, and objectives to support the mission of the department and the College.
12. Coordinate drills and exercises with campus stakeholders and mutual aid partners.
13. Foster a campus culture of trust, fairness, and collaboration through community policing strategies.
14. Attend campus events and participate in shared governance and student life activities to strengthen campus-community relationships.
15. Establish strong partnerships with local law enforcement, fire, and emergency service providers.
16. Ensure professional development and ongoing training in de-escalation, bias-awareness, cultural competency, and conflict resolution.
17. Uphold professional standards consistent with POST, the Peace Officer's Bill of Rights, and collective bargaining agreements.
18. Provides leadership and demonstrates by example a community-policing model for Bakersfield College, including participatory governance, and other problem-solving approaches to law enforcement within the College.
19. Upholds the College's campus policing philosophy. Ensures that campus police activities are in line with the peace officer code of ethics.
20. Directs emergency response operations for major and minor incidents occurring within the jurisdiction of Campus Police.
21. Oversees the development and presentation of training and informational programs for students, faculty, and staff in the areas of emergency preparedness, and best practices for campus safety and security.
22. Serves as the responsible agent of the College, in coordination with District-wide efforts, to ensure the collection, analysis, and timely submission of mandated crime reporting to the public, in compliance with applicable local, state, and/or federal regulations, Clery Act, State, Title IX requirements and Federal Uniform Crime Reporting.
23. Directs the preparation, maintenance, and retention of files and records related to Campus Police functions and activities; maintains records of criminal activity affecting the College.
24. Recommends improvement in campus police and security services and related policies and regulations.
25. Recruit, train, evaluate, counsel, discipline and supervise sworn and non-sworn staff in compliance with POST standards and college and District policies, including ensuring that police personnel meet Post requirements. .
26. Instructs campus police and security personnel in pertinent District policies and appropriate community policing procedures; revises and maintains training manual on procedures and methods for protecting personnel, students, and facilities of the college campus.
27. Coordinates and supervises the scheduling and assignment of College Police and College Safety personnel and facilities
28. Oversees the recruitment and training for the Student Worker Police Cadets Program.
29. Supervises and coordinates criminal investigations, including the interrogation of subjects, control, and appearance at hearings and trials.
30. Supervises and may participate in patrol, enforcement, and providing security for events and gatherings.
31. Reviews reports submitted by police and security personnel for accuracy, completeness, and appropriateness of action taken.
32. Prepares, submits, and presents special statistical and narrative reports to the Board of Trustees, President/Chancellor, and senior management staff as required.
33. Works effectively with people at all levels of the organization including management, faculty, staff, and students; and is sensitive to and understands the diverse academic, socioeconomic, cultural, disability and ethnic backgrounds of community college students.
34. Performs other related duties as assigned and/or requested by senior administration.

Minimum Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:

• A Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in administration of justice, criminology, criminal justice, police science, law enforcement, public administration or related field or any equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Five (5) years recent public law enforcement and investigative experience, including two (2) years in a supervisory capacity at or above the level of police sergeant.
• Possession of a certificate signifying completion of a course of training approved by the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (California Penal Code, Section 832) prior to employment.
• California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training Basic, Intermediate, Advanced, and Supervisory Certificates.
• Possession of valid Standard First Aid and CPR certificates.
• Sensitivity to and understanding of the diverse cultural, socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds of college students and individuals with disabilities.

Licenses, Certificates, and other Requirements:

• Incident Command Certification in ICS 100, 200, 300, 400, and IS 700 and 800, or ability to obtain certification within one year of hire.
• Valid California Driver's License
• Satisfactory completion of pre-employment physical assessment
• Satisfactory completion of pre-employment drug testing
• Must maintain Post Annual Training Requirements.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's degree in a related field from an accredited college or university
• CA POST Management Certificate
• Documented experience in Emergency Management/Preparedness and Crisis Management
• Five (5) years of experience at a management level in a similar community college setting

Knowledge & Abilities

Knowledge of:

• Principles of Administration of Justice and organization. Clery Act reporting standards and procedures.
• District organization, policies, and procedures.
• Federal, State, and municipal laws and statutes.
• Principles of budget planning and administration.
• California Education Code.
• Law enforcement procedures, police methodology, and preventive security measures within a higher education environment.
• Applicable federal, state, city, and county laws, rules, and regulations, including laws of search, seizure, and arrest, legal rights of citizens, court procedures, and rules of evidence.
• Proper use and care of firearms.
• Standardized Emergency Management Systems (ICS (Incident Command System), NIMS, SEMS).
• Principles and practices of community policing, emergency management, and organizational leadership.
• Principles, practices, and techniques for criminal and civil investigations, internal affairs investigations, police background investigations, and administrative investigations.
• Training and certification requirements for law enforcement officers and support staff in compliance with State and Federal statutes.
• Administration of Public Safety Officer's Bill of Rights Crowd control and vehicle control procedures.
• Recent court decisions affecting police work.
• Supervisory procedures and practices, including effective recruitment and selection; assigning and delegating work, evaluating performance, motivating employees, training and developing staff, handling grievances and imposing corrective and/or disciplinary action.
• Participatory governance, committee leadership, and other community college governance processes.

Abilities:

• Strong interpersonal, communication, and consensus-building skills to work effectively with diverse stakeholders.
• Plan, organize, direct, and manage on a District level the operations of a campus police department, including hiring, evaluating, and disciplining
• employees.
• Ability to analyze complex problems and adopt effective courses of action under pressure. Demonstrate impeccable integrity, good judgment, and proven expert decision-making ability.
• Prepare clear, concise, and comprehensive verbal and statistical reports, manuals, and directives.
• Train, supervise, and evaluate assigned staff according to P.O.S.T. mandates, College and District policies, accepted law enforcement methods, and principles of community policing. Analyze, interpret, and enforce federal/state/local laws, rules, and regulations. Analyze situations accurately and adopt an effective course of action.

Important Instructions & Additional Information

Complete applications received by the "assured consideration date" above are guaranteed to be reviewed by Human Resources. If you apply after this date, there is no guarantee that your application will be reviewed. However, we still recommend that you apply because recruitments remain open until filled. The District and/or College reserves the right to extend time limits and/or repost or restart recruitments at any point.

For all positions, sensitivity to and understanding of the diverse academic, socioeconomic, cultural, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, and ethnic backgrounds of community college students, shall be considered a core system competency and job requirement. ()
Required Application Materials

Candidates may be required to submit any of the following materials based on the specific role. Please review the job posting and the attachments section of your application to confirm which documents are required for your submission:

• Completed Online Application
• Current resume
• Letter of interest (Cover Letter)
• Copy of legible transcripts
• Copy of Driver's License

Important Privacy Notice: Applicants are responsible for redacting or removing all sensitive personal information from all uploaded documents prior to submission. Please remove Social Security Numbers, Dates of Birth, and Applicant Photos.
References

Professional reference information will be confirmed and required upon invite to second level interview, if applicable.
Equivalency for Minimum Qualifications

Applicants for faculty and educational administrator positions in California Community Colleges are required to meet certain minimum qualifications as provided by the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office and detailed in the If you do not meet these minimum qualifications, you may still be eligible by completing the KernCCD Application for Equivalence process. Please see our for more information.
International or Foreign Degrees

Applicants with international or foreign degrees from colleges or universities outside of the United States must have their coursework evaluated by a professional association that is a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) or Academic Credentials Evaluation Institute, INC. (ACEI). A copy of the evaluation must be submitted with your online application.
Accommodations

Applicants who require reasonable accommodation to participate in the selection process should contact Human Resources to make the necessary arrangements. (For more information, see our )
Discrimination Free Work Environment

Discrimination based on race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, sexual orientation of any person, military and veteran status, or the perception that a person has one or more of these characteristics is illegal and violates Kern Community College District policy.

The Kern CCD Equal Employment Opportunity Plan guides the development, implementation, and monitoring of the District's efforts to foster equal employment opportunities and workplace diversity.

See our for more information.
Work Authorization

Kern Community College District does not provide sponsorship for authorization to work in the United States. Work authorization should be established at the time of application submission.
E-Verify

The Kern Community College District participates in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's E-Verify program to verify the identity and employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, please visit
Helpful Links
Full-time permanent employees (20+ hours per month) are eligible for health benefits:

• Health
• Dental
• Vision
• Life Insurance
• Long-term Disability

In addition to the above benefits, the District also offers a robust voluntary benefits selection:

• Flex 125
• Additional products and services through American Fidelity
• Supplemental Voluntary Life Insurance
• Tax Shelter Annuities

The District participates in CalPERS Retirement System and Social Security benefits for Classified and Management employees. Employees covered under the California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS), are vested 100% after five years of full-time service credit.

The District participates in the State Teacher's Retirement System (STRS) for faculty. Employees covered under the State Teacher's Retirement System (STRS), are vested 100% after five years of full-time service credit.
All coverages begin on the first of the following month after the hire date.
The following classifications are eligible for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) health benefits at the employee expense offered through SISC:

• Permanent Employees (19 hours or less)
• Adjuncts
• Temporary Hourly
• Professional Experts

For additional information, please visit our