Trinity University Police Department Chief Paul J. Chapa has named John Rowse as the new assistant chief of police. Rowse, a 22-year veteran of TUPD, brings experience and enthusiasm to his new role on the force. Chapa says Rowse is “committed to developing as a leader both in the Trinity community and the Trinity University Police Department.”
Rowse is no stranger to working hard and moving up through the organization. He started at Trinity as a security officer and worked his way up to the positions of officer, sergeant, and lieutenant before being promoted to assistant chief earlier this year. He believes that his time spent in each position provides him with valuable insights that will help him relate to his co-workers and be an empathetic leader. These insights include patience, empathy, and passion.
“It helps me relate to everyone in the organization, because I have been in their shoes at one point fulfilling the role they serve,” Rowse says.
Rowse feels that through sharing his expertise in the various roles, he will be able to improve the department and continue to educate the officers. This is important because, although he loves his job and TUPD as a whole, he acknowledges that the department always has room to grow: “I believe we are a great department, but we can always improve, and I am proud to have this opportunity to help lead the department.”
TUPD’s primary purpose is to keep the campus safe. They do so through crime prevention, investigations, security coverage, and 24-hour on-call help for anyone who needs it. Although these methods may sound typical to any police department, TUPD stands out in a major way. Its primary role with students is not as an enforcer. Rather, as Rowse puts it, “We are educators of the law and of Trinity’s policies.” In other words, TUPD and its officers are an asset to students, ready to be utilized at any moment.
Rowse plans on using his new position as a leader in the department to make its services even more readily available to students. He plans to join community committees and boards to better understand the community’s needs and actively listen to new issues as they arise. His main goal is to ensure student success by continuing to make Trinity “a safe community in which to work, learn, and live.”
Not only does Rowse have a passion for police work, he is also deeply connected to the Trinity community and his fellow officers. “It’s a wonderful place for students to attain an education, for faculty to instruct at, and for staff to work at. Walking the thoroughfares or through the buildings of Trinity, you are greeted with ‘Hello’ or ‘How are you?’ and you can tell it’s genuine. Being a part of the community is great.”
Above all, Rowse simply loves his job and views his coworkers as family. As assistant chief, he wakes up everyday to a job he is passionate about and goes to work on improving and protecting the Trinity community.
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