City College hires Barnes as police chief

By Hannah Weiner
FEATURES EDITOR

As of July 1, 2009, City College has a new chief of police. Oakland Police Department retiree Andre L. Barnes is filling the position that has been open since June 2007.

Chief Barnes’ main focus at City College is to work on police organization and structure. Barnes plans to review policies and procedures to see what needs to be reformed.

Before filling the position at City College, Barnes worked at San Jose State University, a one-campus college, for five and a half years.

“The transition to [City College] will be interesting because each school has its own leadership,” he said. “As I’ve been here, I’ve just tried to identify areas that need to be addressed; how officers are supervised, and if they have the tools to do their job. Training is also important. I really want to focus on those two areas.”
Previously, police officers had been standing in for the position, until Dean of Student Affairs Rodney Santos filled the post in August 2008.

“It was very different for me in respect to the fact that I was a part of public safety even though I have never been trained,” Santos said. “But we found a diamond  with Chief Barnes. It was great that he accepted the job.”

Barnes said he learned about the position through several organizations he belongs to.

“I had been Police Chief at San Jose State and I initially turned down the position at City College. I had not planned on applying but I wasn’t ready to retire, and after talking to another potential applicant I thought it would be a good time to apply myself.”

Although the police department still remains understaffed, Santos said he has confidence in Barnes’ leadership. “We’ve surpassed all other universities and colleges because of his experience,” Santos said. “We’re talking [about] a person who started in police patrol and worked his way up in the ranks.”

After high school, Barnes initially started taking courses at a Chabot College in Hayward. He received his bachelor’s degree from Columbia College in Missouri.

“My goal was to become a police officer,” he said. “I thought it was the greatest position in the world. I didn’t have any intention of moving up.”

After spending 24 years at the Oakland Police Department, Barnes was promoted to sergeant. He then worked in personnel and patrol divisions as a lieutenant.

“I’ve had a really good career,” he said. “I haven’t been injured, haven’t had to use my firearm. I’ve been very fortunate.”

Though Barnes has only been with City College for a short time, he feels that crime doesn’t appear to be out of hand at any of the campuses.

“We need to make sure that we’re keeping up on the changes in law enforcement,” he said. “City College [police department] is facing an issue of lack of leadership, not high crime rates.”

Chief Barnes can be contacted at abarnes@ccsf.edu or by calling (415) 239-3200. Dean Santos can be reached at dsantos@ccsf.edu or by calling (415) 239-3276.