Cal Poly officially welcomed its new chief of police, Robert Plastino, during a swearing-in ceremony on July 25.
Plastino brings over 27 years of experience with the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office, where he previously served as chief deputy of law enforcement operations. He covered a wide jurisdiction from Carpinteria to Cuyama and included oversight of both patrol and detective divisions. He also worked closely with the University of California, Santa Barbara and the Isla Vista communities.
His appointment follows the promotion of former Chief George Hughes last summer to associate vice president of public safety, a role that now oversees both Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and the new Solano campus.
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“With his extensive background in public safety and working collaboratively with an academic community similar to ours, Robert is going to be a perfect fit with our holistic, compassionate and progressive public safety approach at Cal Poly,” Hughes said in a press release from the university.
Plastino was sworn in by Hughes during the morning ceremony. Immediately after, Plastino administered the oath of office to six newly hired officers, including a new K-9 unit named Dex. The department’s previous K-9, Zeus, retired earlier this month.
Plastino holds a master’s degree in public administration from California State University, Northridge and a bachelor’s in business administration from San Diego State University.
“As we head into a new academic year, we will recommit to teamwork, cross-campus collaboration and constant innovation so we can continue to grow trust in our community and increase support on campus,” Plastino added in the press release.
The Cal Poly Police Department currently includes 22 sworn officers, one K-9 and follows a non-escalatory policing model.