USU Police Chief candidates speak to students
Utah State University is looking for a new police chief, and its two candidates are Jason Brei and Curtis Hooley. Brei gave a public presentation of his values and ideas for the position on April 25, and Hooley gave his on April 26.
Jason Brei
Brei has worked for 26 years in law enforcement, starting in Cochise County Sheriff’s Office in Arizona, and moving to the University of Arizona Police Department (UAPD) in 2000, according to USU’s police chief candidates website.
While serving at the UAPD, Brei gained several leadership experiences through acting as assistant chief in field operations, corporal, lieutenant, commander, assistant chief and interim chief of police.
Brei has received many awards throughout his career, including the Accredited Command Executive Award from the Arizona Association of Chief of Police in 2023.
One of his favorite parts of working with the UAPD, Brei noted, was introducing Maggie — the department’s crisis response canine unit — into the department.
“Coming out of 2020, there was a lot of emotion in the country for law enforcement and community policing, and where we fit into that, and there was a need to have a bridge. And the bridge that Maggie, our canine, brought was very helpful in not only helping people cope with situations, experiences, traumatic experiences, but also, four feet up that leash, is a human being,” Brei said.
Sometimes, students could be wary of police officers, Brei said, but having Maggie helped people see the officer as a person and provided a safe common ground for them.
The candidate committed to helping USU’s police build bridges with students through having a more approachable atmosphere, such as forming cordial friendships and having open conversations with them.
“We need to have a relationship with the community, with students so they can feel comfortable to call us no matter what,” Brei said. “It’s that relationship, it’s that familiarity, and getting in contact with one another.”
Capt. Curtis Hooley presents his ideas about what a better Utah State campus would look like under his care on April, 26, 2023. He has served with Logan Police Department since 1990.
Curtis Hooley
An Aggie alumnus, Hooley has worked for 30 years in the Logan City Police Department (LCPD) — and he said he’s ready to expand his influence at USU.
The candidate has served as captain of the LCPD since 2011, and he has impacted lives as a crimes against persons detective, the chairman of the Sexual Abuse Response team, the department public information officer and the commander of the Cache/Rich Drug Task Force.
One aspect of policing that Hooley said he is particularly passionate about is victim advocacy.
“It’s not always easy to help a victim as much as you’d like to, and that’s where advocacy comes into play. So, that’s something that touched me and helped me to continue on with my career because I do a lot with advocacy,” Hooley said.
From working with CAPSA to helping rape victims, Hooley is no stranger to helping victims overcome adversity. In 2016, he received an award from the Utah Council on Victims of Crime for his implementation of the Lethality Assessment Program in the LCPD.
In 2023, that assessment program was so successful that it would be implemented statewide via Sen. Todd Weiler’s bill, S.B. 117.
Hooley said one of his most influential experiences was helping the family of a five-year-old girl who had been raped and murdered. While he was in the process of finding her body, Hooley met with the girl’s family three times a day, checking on how to best support them.
“Honestly, that was the most stressful thing I’ve experienced as a police officer, and probably the hardest emotionally just because of the situation itself,” Hooley said. “You know, that thing, that was something that shaped me in a lot of ways as a command-level person.”
Building bridges with students
The candidates also met with USU Student Association (USUSA) representatives to hear about student questions and concerns. Brei met with the association on April 25, and Hooley met with them on April 26.
Aly Cinq-Mars, USUSA Executive Vice President, asked Hooley how he plans to advocate for victims at USU.
“We start by believing, because in my experience, there’s not very many people that are going to put themselves through that and make a false report of sexual assault. I just never saw that in my career,” Hooley said. “The department having the reputation that they are supportive of sexual assault victims and are advocates for them — and help them get the help they need, and do a reasonable job investigating those cases, is a good start.”
Other questions involved the strictness of enforcement, ways the candidates could help with student events and how the police can best form trusting relationships with students.
After the candidates’ presentations, Cinq-Mars said she will be excited to welcome either candidate to the USU family.
“They both just want to be involved in their community, and they want their police officers to do the same,” Cinq-Mars said. “And working and building connections with students I think is the biggest thing.”
-jenny.carpenter@usu.edu