As the Providence Police Department continues its investigation of Saturday afternoon’s Brown University mass shooting that left two dead and nine injured, the Ivy League school’s head of campus safety has maintained a low profile.
Rodney Chatman serves as Brown’s vice president for public safety and emergency management, a position that makes him the school’s executive director of public safety and chief of university police.
His LinkedIn page says he began his career as a police officer in 2005 at the University of Cincinnati, and became a captain in that department in 2012.
In 2016, he departed for the University of Dayton, where he became the executive director of campus safety and police chief. In 2020, he moved west and became the police chief at the University of Utah. His yearlong tenure at that school was marred by controversy after he was accused of wearing a badge and carrying a gun before officially becoming a police officer in the state, which is a crime. Those allegations were unfounded, but he spent half of his year on leave.
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According to the Salt Lake Tribune, Chatman said he faced pushback for policing reforms he tried to implement at the school. He departed for Brown in 2021.
In October, two local police unions, the Brown University Security Patrolperson’s Association and the University Police Sergeants Union, issued votes of “no confidence” in Chatman, the former expressing “deep concern among the membership regarding the direction and leadership of the Department of Public Safety,” according to the Brown Daily Herald.
After a gunman, who has yet to be identified and remains at large, burst into a classroom on the first floor of the urban school’s Barus & Holley building on Saturday afternoon, causing death and destruction, campus security has become a focal point. The school has faced criticism regarding the killer’s access to the building and a lack of security cameras that could have helped in identifying the shooter.
Chatman has only briefly addressed the shooting in the days since it occurred, saying that three outdoor sirens on the campus did not activate during the shooting because of how quickly the event took place, according to the Rhode Island Current.
Fox News Digital has found that diversity, equity and inclusion has been a major focus for Brown’s campus safety department and Chatman himself.
“As we continue to assess and strengthen campus safety practices amid the critical national debate around policing and justice, we are set to welcome a truly accomplished leader who is ideally positioned to guide this work at Brown,” Brown University President Christina Paxson said in a message announcing Chatman’s hiring. “Chief Chatman will bring not only an outstanding track record in law enforcement, but also the values, skills and experiences that will enable him to effectively engage our full community in advancing safety on campus in every aspect.”
On International Women’s Day in March, Chatman, along with the entire Brown Department of Public Safety (DPS), celebrated the department’s female officers.
“Today, on International Women’s Day, we proudly celebrate the incredible women of Brown DPS who serve and protect our community with dedication and strength,” DPS said in a LinkedIn post. “A few of our officers share what makes them most proud about working in law enforcement and their advice for young women considering this career. Thank you to all of the women on our team who make our department EPIC!”
A video was attached to the post with testimonials from female officers.
“Look at our amazing team!!!! Go BRUNO!” Chatman said while sharing the post.
In a prior post on LinkedIn, Chatman asked other campus police departments to refrain from posting pictures of themselves with weapons or performing tactical maneuvers, suggesting that it could make their communities anxious.
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“To my police leaders: please consider removing pictures prominently displayed on your websites and promotional material of your officers engaged in tactical maneuvers and displaying weapons. We all know you have them,” he said. “Consider displaying your compassion, and engagement with the community that alleviates the anxiety of our presence.”
Brown DPS hosts listening sessions, where students can bring their concerns to authorities, according to a webpage on the school’s site.
“Within the listening session format, students are encouraged to attend to share thoughts and recommendations into matters that have the potential to impact police-community relations and campus safety programming on Brown’s campus,” the page said, adding that there are “many issues that are deeply concerning to us all.
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“Students will also have the opportunity to learn about the department’s Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan (DIAP) and to provide feedback,” the page says.
In 2016, the campus security department launched its Diversity & Inclusion Action Plan (DIAP), focused on diversity within the campus safety department. Those efforts continue today.
“Public Safety is committed to achieving a diverse workplace that supports the diverse community within Brown University,” a Brown webpage says. “We understand that having a diverse group of personnel will have the capacity to foster trust with the community we serve as well as to inform and enrich our organizational climate.”
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In 2017, DPS brought in a transgender academic, who goes only by Dr. Scout, to lead a three-day diversity workshop on “cultural competency and community engagement (LGBTQ, transgender, diverse populations), health disparities, data collection, language tips, stigma and how it affects lives, trends, and strategies to enhance service within these communities.”
In fact, DPS has a diversity statement featured prominently on one of its Brown webpages.
“We make every effort to anticipate, plan for, and respond to the needs of our diverse and ever-changing community. We seek the input and talents of all members of the University and our efforts to safeguard the campus,” it says.
“Public Safety works diligently to build and sustain trust and positive relationships with the diverse community we serve at Brown,” says another DPS page. “As communities all across the country continue to deal with racial unrest and police reform, we support the University’s urge to confront racial injustice. We also recognize that there is always room for improvement within our organization. We will continue to work towards our commitment in establishing and building positive and respectful community relations, especially with Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC).”
Fox News contributor Nicole Parker blasted Brown for its focus on DEI.
“For around 10 years when the DEI program was initiated at Brown, it seems that diversity was a higher priority than campus safety and now the university and its students are left picking up the pieces of their lethal failure,” she said. “Woke does not work when it comes to campus safety! And sadly, two innocent students have lost their lives.”
Ella Cook of Alabama and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, an Uzbek national who had been living in Virginia, were killed in Saturday’s attack.
Brown officials pointed Fox News Digital to a Monday statement about the tragedy, which includes a list of enhanced security measures, in response to an inquiry about DEI and campus safety.
Chatman did not return a request for comment.
