James Perrotti, who has served for 25 years on the Yale Police Department and has been its acting chief for the past six months, has been named Chief of Yale University Police.

As chief, Perrotti will lead the 77-member Yale police force and will oversee all operations of the University Police Department. His appointment is effective immediately.

"We undertook a national search that convinced us that one of our own is best-equipped for the job of chief," says Linda Koch Lorimer, Vice President and Secretary of the University. "Jim Perrotti's years of experience on the Yale Police have prepared him well for the responsibility. He is very knowledgeable about the special needs of a campus police force. His proven leadership skills and his familiarity with both the Yale force and with colleagues in the New Haven Police Department -- with whom our officers work so closely to keep the campus and its surrounding environs safe -- will also be assets as Jim permanently takes on the responsibility that he has so superbly carried out over the past six months."

Perrotti joined the Yale Police Department in 1973 and has progressed through the ranks, serving as assistant chief since 1992. He was a detective in the department 1981 to 1986, when he was promoted to sergeant. He became a commander in 1990. A graduate of the University of New Haven, where he earned a bachelor's degree in criminal justice administration, Perrotti received his police training from the New Haven Policy Academy and was the first member of the Yale Police Department to graduate from the FBI National Academy.

Promoted community ties. Perrotti has been instrumental in developing Yale's community policing approach and worked with New Haven's police department on coordinating community policing and other activities, according to Martha C. Highsmith, associate secretary of the University, whose responsibilities include overseeing the University Police. In addition, he has helped enhance campus police operations by incorporating state-of-the-art technology to the department, and has been "sensitive and responsive to the concerns of faculty, masters, parents and students on issues of campus safety," she says.

"He has devoted his entire career to protecting the Yale community, and has earned the respect of his colleagues on campus and within the City of New Haven," Highsmith adds.

New Chief's goals. Perrotti's goals as chief include furthering the community policing program, enhancing ties with the community and filling department vacancies.

"The men and women on our force are of very high caliber, and I am very proud to lead the department," the new chief says. "I've prepared for this position for my entire career, and it's a wonderful time for me to get to this place. I think in terms of opportunities, this is a very exciting time for the Yale Police Department. We share the common and constant goal of providing a better service to the community, and I look forward to helping shape new initiatives toward that end in the years ahead."

The Yale Police Department is a fully sworn police agency that receives its police powers through the City of New Haven. Created in 1894, it was the first campus-based police department in the country, and has continued to serve as a model for other campus police operations.