UCLA Police Chief John Thomas has been fired and reassigned, officials said, weeks after he was heavily criticized for security lapses that led to violence at a pro-Palestinian camp.
Vice Chancellor Rick Braziel, who heads the newly created Office of Campus Safety, notified Thomas this week that he will be reassigned while internal and external investigations review campus safety deficiencies that led to UCLA’s The students and others involved in the protest camps were left to fend for themselves.
UCLA Police Captain Gawin Gibson was named interim police chief effective Tuesday, according to Mary Osako, vice chancellor for strategic communications.
She added that UCLA’s Office of Campus Safety “is leading an overhaul of our safety processes designed to enhance the well-being and safety of our community.”
Thomas did not respond to a message seeking comment.
“Given Chief Thomas’ mishandling of keeping the community safe and the deafening calls for him to step down, this has to happen,” said a source who was not authorized to speak publicly.
Thomas lost confidence within UCLA and among some outside law enforcement officials, who criticized the police chief for a lack of proper planning, coordination and communication in developing campus security plans and ensuring adequate police presence in the event of violence. The police chief and Michael Baker, then-vice chancellor for administration and the Office of Emergency Management, both faced calls to resign. Basil has taken over as chief security officer for both departments.
After pro-Palestinian supporters camped out on a UCLA lawn, campus leadership asked Thomas to develop a written, detailed security plan outlining actions for a variety of situations — from rallies to skirmishes to to full-scale violence – but was not given a plan, three sources told The Times. The police chief was told to use whatever overtime money he needed to get help from outside law enforcement, but Thomas said a paperwork impasse between the city and state prevented him from being able to respond to the encampment raid the night of April 30. Before any contract is completed.
Thomas earlier defended his actions in an interview with The Times and said he did the best he could.
The reorganization of the UCLA Police Department has been ongoing for more than three weeks since the violent attack, and the atmosphere on campus has been tense.
Thomas was appointed police chief in January and will serve as interim police chief starting in 2022. At USC, he has served as executive officer and director of the USC Department of Public Safety since 2013. Serves as a Lieutenant with the Los Angeles Police Department. He also previously served with the Washington, D.C., Police Department.
The decision about police leadership comes ahead of UCLA Chancellor Gene Bullock’s scheduled testimony along with the presidents of Rutgers and Northwestern universities at a House Education Committee hearing on anti-Semitism in Washington, D.C. The committee is expected to grill Bullock over the April 30 violence at the UCLA camp and allegations of anti-Semitism during pro-Palestinian protests.
Early congressional hearings included the presidents of Harvard University, the University of Pennsylvania, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Columbia University
UC President Michael V. Drake has launched an external investigation into safety concerns, which Bullock welcomed as he launched his own review.
