Joseph A. De Lopez is an experienced and professional public safety executive and consultant. He has over 42 years of progressively responsible experience covering the spectrum of police management, to include administration, policy development, training, expert witness testimony and executive screening activities. Formerly the Vice Chancellor for Safety and Security for the City Colleges of Chicago, he was hired by the City Colleges in 2011 to coordinate the centralization and re-organization of the Office of Safety and Security. As Vice Chancellor, De Lopez developed a plan to transition the Office of Safety and Security to a State Certified Police Department. He also implemented numerous programs and policies to enhance the safety on all of the campuses.Mr. De Lopez also served as the Chief of Police in Winnetka. He was hired as Chief in March of 2002. Mr. De Lopez also had a distinguished 31 year career with the Chicago Police Department, rising through the ranks to become Deputy Superintendent. While with the Chicago Police Department, Mr. De Lopez supplemented his Bachelors Degree from the University of Illinois with a Masters Degree from Lewis University. He has also completed a certificate in Police Administration at the Traffic Institute of Northwestern University, attended the elite Senior Management Institute for Police in Boston, Northwestern University’s Executive Management Program, the City of Chicago Intergovernmental Executive Development Program, and is a 2008 graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Law Enforcement Executive Development Program (LEEDS). De Lopez has also been qualified as an expert witness in Federal Court for police operations and administrative matters, and has served as a promotional and executive search assessor for the International Association of Chiefs of Police, Metro Dade Police Department, Illinois State Police, Cook County Department of Personnel, and the Chicago Police Department.

My responsibilities included conducting security risk analyses for various organizations and institutions including public housing units, universities, colleges and K-12. These analyses entail review of all physical, technological and human asset threats and deficiencies affecting the safety and security of the institution or organization. It also includes evaluation and preparation of emergency response and operations plans, NIMS and Clery Act compliance review, and organizational operations review. Additional skills include the review of building design plans to identify and recommend safety and security improvements using the principles of crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED).

I coordinated the activities of over 450 Safety and Security personnel, most of whom are retired or off-duty peace officers, to address the Public Safety needs and create a safe learning and working environment for 120,000 students and over 5,000 faculty and staff. The City College of Chicago system is comprised of eight primary locations and six satellite locations serving a commuter student population. These campuses are located throughout metropolitan Chicago, and are as diverse as the city itself. As Vice Chancellor, I developed a plan to transition the Office of Safety and Security to a State Certified Police Department. I also implemented procedures to standardize and integrate security technology solutions, and implemented numerous programs and policies to enhance the safety on all of the campuses, including development of an All Hazards Safety and Security Plan and formation of campus Behavioral Threat Assessment Teams..

I served as the Chief of Police in Winnetka, Illinois, a community of 12,500 residents 14 miles from downtown Chicago along the shores of Lake Michigan. I was hired as Chief in March of 2002. The Winnetka Police Department has a complement of 36 personnel, and a total budget of approximately $6.3 million. The Department has been nationally accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies. During my tenure as Chief in Winnetka, I re-organized the Police Department, enhanced training of personnel through a collaborative effort with Oakton Community College and the Northeastern Illinois Public Training Academy (NIPSTA), where I served in roles as President, Vice-President and as an Officer of the NIPSTA Foundation.

I enjoyed a progressively responsible 31 year career with the Chicago Police Department, beginning in 1971 and ending in 2002. I held numerous Command positions in both Operational and Support units, including the Shakespeare, Marquette and Town Hall Districts, and as Director of the Training Division. I served as the Administative Deputy Chief of the Patrol Division, overseeing the administrative functions for over 9,000 police officers, 25 District Commanders and 5 Deputy Chiefs. My final position was as the Deputy Superintendent of Technical Services.As Deputy Superintendent, I coordinated the Chicago Police Department’s capital improvement program and worked with the Department of General Services on property management issues. My responsibilities required me to oversee a personnel and non-personnel budget of over $58 million.As Deputy Chief of Patrol Administration for the Chicago Police Department, my responsibilities included coordinating the review and implementation of Chicago’s Alternative Policing Strategy, known as CAPS (Chicago’s version of community policing). I was also responsible for overseeing all administrative functions for the Patrol Division of the Chicago Police Department. The Patrol Division was comprised of over 10,000 personnel.