Craig Jaccuzzo has been named as Nicholls State University’s new police chief as of Jan.5th. Judy Daniels, dean of student life, said there were 40 applicants for the position.
She said the applicants were narrowed down to 10 through background checks, and then narrowed down again to five. According to Daniels, a 14-person committee made the decision to choose Jaccuzzo and eight members were students. She said she expects Jaccuzzo to adjust to the needs of students.
Jaccuzzo began his career with Lafourche Parish law enforcement at the age of 18 and has been in law enforcement for 14 years. Jaccuzzo has received several awards , such as the Sheriff Star’s Officer of the Year Award and the Making a Difference Award from WDSU News Channel 6 in New Orleans.
Jaccuzzo was the first person to graduate from Nicholls’ criminal justice program, to receive his bachelor’s and associate’s degrees. He recently graduated from Nicholls, receiving a degree in government. Jaccuzzo says, “titles come and go, but you have to treat people like people and maintain a positive attitude.”
Jaccuzzo said he wants law enforcement officers to serve the community in a professional manner , with a problem-solving ” think out of the box” approach. “I want the officers to be trained through the Community Policing Policy, ” Eugene Dial, vice president of student affairs said.” I would like to see the officers out interacting with people and to bring up the level of professionalism.”
Jaccuzzo plans to take steps to ensure the safety of residents in La Maison Du Bayou. Jaccuzzo said he wants to “provide motor and foot patrol in the community, educate the residents on crime, provide a quick and immediate response to calls and follow up on all complaints until they are resolved.” Jaccuzzo says La Maison Du Bayou will bring new issues to the campus that the university has never handled before, but university police will handle those issues in a non-traditional law enforcement manner.