Pamela Roskowski

First Appeared Friday, 31 January '03

First Female UCSF Police Chief Takes Helm Monday

UCSF on Monday (Feb. 3) will swear in Pamela Roskowski -- the first female police chief to head the campus police department.

“Chief Roskowski was selected after an extensive search and screening process and was the clear consensus choice among a large and extremely well-qualified pool,” said Randy Lopez, assistant vice chancellor for administration. “In addition to her extremely strong security experience, Pam is an articulate, innovative and collaborative leader.”

Chief Ron Nelson will step down as chief after the swearing-in ceremony on Feb. 3 and will work on special safety and security projects during his remaining two months at UCSF. “Chief Nelson will retire effective April 5 after a dozen years of excellent service to UCSF,” Lopez noted. “Ron has been a great asset to me and UCSF during his tenure.”

The fact that UCSF will have a woman at the helm of the police department is a rarity. Less than 1 percent of US police chiefs are women, says Roskowski, who was interviewed last week from her home in Corvallis, Oregon.

“Law enforcement is still considered a path finding career for women in the United States. Nationally, less than 20 percent of the ranks are women.”

For Roskowski, the call to duty came early in life, perhaps inspired by her father who served in the US Navy for more than 20 years. “I have always had a desire to serve,” she says. “I’ve always been a champion of the underdog and have made community safety my life’s work.”

She began her law enforcement career in 1975 with the Palo Alto Police Department, where she served until 1990 rising through the ranks to captain after serving as community crime prevention coordinator, watch commander, detective and hostage negotiator, among other jobs. Roskowski credits the opportunities for professional development she has had as well as learning from wonderful people, including her mentor, now Retired Palo Alto Police Chief Jim Zurcher.

“I appreciated his creativity and his willingness to buck the status quo and to be a non-traditional police chief. I have also been called non-traditional. I think it’s important for us to think outside the box and creatively and collaboratively address community problems. He also inspired in me his philosophy as a leader to provide staff opportunities so we as individuals could grow.”

As Police Chief for the past 12 years in Corvallis, Roskowski did just that. She expanded staff participation and development opportunities, giving them a say in how the department was realigned to provide better customer service. She also introduced community policing “to more effectively address neighborhood crime problems,” implemented the citizen police academy and expanded the citizen volunteer network to more than 3,800.

For Roskowski, it’s important to establish a “great relationship with the community. It’s the community that sets its service priorities and goals and it’s our job to listen to the community and provide the leadership necessary to help turn those goals into realities.” She intends to do the same at UCSF.

“I’m excited about coming to UCSF,” she says. “It’s an opportunity for me to take my community policing philosophy and experience and apply them in a University setting.”

While in Corvallis, Roskowski introduced new technology, including launching patrol laptop report writing and upgrading and remodeling the regional 911 communications center. She also achieved and maintained national accreditation by the Commission of Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies since March 1995. On top of that, she served as a member of the Senior Executive Staff assisting the City Manager with leadership of the city.

A Good Fit for UCSF

Roskowski is expected to fit in well at UCSF because of her experience in community policing and planning, developing partnerships and leveraging resources, campus officials say.

In Corvallis, she oversaw a staff of 92 and a budget of about $9.4 million and was responsible for a residential population of about 52,000. At UCSF, she will oversee a staff of nearly 60, a budget about half that in Corvallis and a campus population that exceeds 20,000 faculty, staff, students and visitors.

“During her career she has demonstrated exceptional leadership skills, effective communication and community outreach, creative problem solving and partnership development and innovative administrative abilities,” said Chief Nelson. “She has demonstrated leadership ability with accomplishments in patrol operations, personnel and training, investigations, traffic management, crime prevention, records management and computer technology.”

Roskowski acknowledges that life has changed since US began its war on terrorism following the 2001 terrorist attacks on the US. “It’s unfortunate that we have had to change so many aspects of our lives since Sept. 11. We have to be constantly aware of our security and the risks in our workplace. It’s not a matter of ‘shall we be more secure?’ It’s a matter of how can we be more secure in a way that people can feel comfortable.”

Coming from Corvallis, where there is a significant Muslim and international student population, Roskowski is acutely aware of the need to “ensure a balance” in providing protection for all and protecting civil liberties.

Roskowski received a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice Administration and a Master of Public Administration degree from San Jose State University. An active member of the Oregon Association Chiefs of Police, which includes service as president, executive board member, and legislative committee member, she received the president’s award in April 2000.

That same year, she received the National Center for Women in Policing Breaking the Glass Ceiling Award. Her other awards include receiving the Palo Alto Jaycees Outstanding Young Manager of the Year in 1982 and the Distinguished Alumna Award from San Jose State University in May 1997.

Born in Albany, Oregon, Roskowski lived most of her life in California. She and her husband Ron have two children, Kelli, 20 and Tyler, 19.

Source: Lisa Cisneros