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Miami University police captain seeks YSU chief position
YOUNGSTOWN
Stephen VanWinkle, captain with the Miami University of Ohio Police Department and a finalist for Youngstown State University police chief, fielded questions from 25 people Tuesday to kick off one of three open-forum interviews.
The YSU police chief position has been open since the former chief, John Beshara, was placed on administrative leave in April 2016. The university had questions about Beshara’s use of his work vehicle and said it would not renew his contract. He retired May 31.
YSU posted the job listing Feb. 15. The posting does not list a salary range, but Beshara made $86,700 at the time of his retirement.
VanWinkle is at YSU in search of the position because it’s simply the right time in his life, he said.
“I’m 42, and our chief at Miami is probably going to be around for six, seven, eight years – and I don’t want to get to where I’m going by the time I want to retire,” he said.
Although VanWinkle’s career with Miami began in 1999, with his captain promotion coming in July 2015, his passion for law enforcement started long before.
“[It] has been a part of me since I was 8 years old – it’s what I wanted to do,” he said. “In my years of service, I have come to understand the importance of the police department on campus is to ensure complete safety to the community, students and guests.”
Some challenges VanWinkle would face coming to Youngstown from Oxford – where Miami University is located – include a change of scenery from a rural to an urban setting and the fact that the YSU campus is more diverse than his current university’s 5 percent black student population.
“Asian Americans out-percent our African-American population,” he said.
Another challenge VanWinkle mentioned is simply not knowing the YSU officers.
When asked how he felt about the presence of guns on campus, he replied, “It’s whatever the law is.”
“Truthfully, I’ve been around guns since I was 6, so it doesn’t bother me if someone has a concealed or open carry,” he said. “Do I necessarily think campus is a place for weapons? No. Are campuses 100 percent safe? Also no.”
The most stressed aspect of VanWinkle’s responses during his open-forum interview was being open, polite and courteous.
“At the end of the day, no one likes being talked down to,” he said.
Jeffrey Scott, chief of the Notre Dame College Campus Police Department, will have his interview at 1:30 p.m. today in the board of trustees meeting room in Tod Hall. Shawn Varso, interim chief of the YSU Police Department, will have his Thursday at the same time.