WARWICK – The Community College of Rhode Island has appointed retired Warwick Police Maj. Sean Collins the police chief and public safety director at the school.
Collins, who lives in Warwick, has held the position on an interim basis since October 2017.
In a news release, CCRI said Collins has already improved the college’s Clery Act reporting, which requires colleges and universities to maintain and disclose campus crime statistics and security data.
He also added nonlethal weapons to the CCRI police department, introduced emergency-response features on the college’s four campuses and developed an opioid crisis response, according to CCRI. Collins said he has begun the process of attaining campus police accreditation from the Rhode Island Accreditation Commission.
Collins began his career in law enforcement with the Warwick Police Department, where he served 26 years and retired as major of operations.
He also served as police chief and director of public safety and emergency management at Simmons College in Boston before coming to CCRI.
Collins served 28 years in the U.S. Army, on active duty and in the Army Reserves. As a special agent in charge of a criminal investigation unit, Collins was assigned to Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld’s protection detail following Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. He was also a first responder during the attack on the Pentagon, working on the crime scene in evidence collection and remains retrieval.
Collins earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in criminal justice from Roger Williams University and obtained a certificate in emergency management and as an emergency medical technician from CCRI.