Univ. of Massachusetts Amherst Hires Police Chief

Tyrone A. Parham will advise the vice chancellor in addition to heading the Police Department.

The University of Massachusetts Amherst named Tyrone A. Parham as its new Chief of Police and Assistant Vice Chancellor on Dec. 3.

Parham will begin his job with the UMass Amherst Police Department in January, according to a statement on the school’s website.

Parham will advise the vice chancellor and will head a department made up of 60 sworn officers, 16 support staff, roughly 20 police cadets and the Residence Hall security team. The department is accredited by the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission and the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc.

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Parham, who grew up in Philadelphia, has held the chief of police position at Pennsylvania State University for the last four years. The Penn State Police Department includes 51 police officers, security officers, dispatch and civilian employees in addition to student security members.

Parham graduated from Penn State with a bachelor’s in crime, law and justice and received his master’s in workforce education and development. He is also a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police and International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators.

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