Christina Lofthouse, a veteran law enforcement officer with two decades of experience at universities, has been named the Interim Chief of Police at Humboldt State University.

Lofthouse starts in the new role immediately, after having served as Interim Lieutenant in the department for the last three months. 

Lofthouse’s duties at HSU will include day-to-day leadership of the University Police Department, close collaboration with campus departments in support of student safety and the educational experience, and oversight of partnerships with local law enforcement agencies. She reports to the Vice President for Administration and Finance.

“I consider it an honor and a privilege to lead the Humboldt State Police Department and am excited to assist in meeting the unique challenges we face right now. Our goal at HSUPD is to police with compassion, understanding, and engagement, and to enhance communication to remove barriers. We are committed to providing and maintaining a safe and secure environment for our community,” Lofthouse said.

Her previous position was as Lieutenant in the Police Department at CSU Sacramento, where she served for ten years. Prior to that, she served as a Sergeant and Officer in the Police Department at UC Davis. 

Lofthouse is a graduate of the highly regarded FBI National Academy, and has completed extensive additional training in areas including leadership, Clery Act, event management, internal affairs investigations, and Title IX. She earned a bachelor’s degree in political science at UC Davis and a law degree at Lincoln School of Law in Sacramento.

Lofthouse replaces Donn Peterson, who served as chief for five years and retired as of May 31.