Craig Stone is the newest chief of The Ohio State University Police Division.
Stone’s appointment comes a little more than one year after he was initially hired to serve as the university’s deputy chief. Stone later served as acting police chief following the retirement of Paul Denton in June 2015.
“I have learned a lot in my first year as a Buckeye,” Stone said. “My No. 1 priority continues to be the safety of our campus community and I look forward to continuing the meaningful partnerships our police division has with Ohio State’s students, faculty and staff.”
Stone oversaw key safety initiatives and milestones during his first year at Ohio State, including:
- Oversight of the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) accreditation renewal process
- Reinstating police bicycle patrols
- Initiating additional police diversity training
- Serving as incident commander for home football games and concerts
“Ohio State is home to nearly 100,000 students, faculty, staff and visitors every day, so it is important to have a proven leader overseeing our sworn police,” said Mark Evans, associate vice president of the Office of Administration and Planning. “Our Department of Public Safety prides itself on hiring the best, and Chief Stone brings 30 years of law enforcement experience with an expertise working with a college campus community.”
Stone, who served the Columbus Division of Police with distinction for 29 years, joined Ohio State on May 1, 2015, as deputy chief. Previously, he served one year as Cleveland State University’s director of campus safety and chief of police.
Stone is certified as a “Gold Standard” assessor for CALEA and served two terms as president of the State of Ohio Accreditation Resources, which represents 60 law enforcement agencies in Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia. A member of the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators and the International Association (IACLEA) of Chiefs of Police, Stone was also appointed to the Ohio Commission on African-American Males, serving two terms as commissioner.
Stone earned a master of science in the administration of justice from the University of Louisville. He is a graduate of the 120th session of the Southern Police Institute’s Administrative Officers Course. He is a graduate of the IACLEA Executive Development Institute and the Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police (OACP) Police Executive Leadership College.