The new chief of police for Robert Morris University is a former U.S. Secret Service special agent who spent two decades protecting presidents and other public officials.

Jeffrey James comes to RMU after a successful 22-year career in the Secret Service and two and a half years as the director of security at Seneca Valley School District. James held several high-level positions with the Secret Service, including spending five years in the Presidential Protective Division and serving as the Secret Service liaison to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. He is expertly trained in threat assessment and mitigation, physical security of facilities and persons, and emergency management and response planning.

Born and raised in North Versailles, James received his bachelor's degree in education from Clarion University of Pennsylvania. He earned a master’s degree in criminal justice from Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kansas, and a second master’s in national security resource strategy from the National Defense University's prestigious Eisenhower School in Washington, D.C.

“Chief James is passionate about community policing, RMU’s mission, and our commitment to being Big Enough to Matter, Small Enough to Care,” said Renee Cavalovitch, RMU general counsel and vice president for legal affairs and risk management. “We are incredibly fortunate to add a law enforcement professional of Chief James’s caliber to our Campus Police Department.”