Caltech Appoints New Campus Security and Parking Chief

A veteran public safety professional with experience in law enforcement as well as campus and private security has been appointed as Caltech's chief of campus security and parking services.

Victor Clay will start on June 30.

"A safe campus environment is a first step toward ensuring that students, faculty, and staff can confidently pursue the research and innovation for which Caltech is renowned," Clay says. "This is not a job any one individual or department can do alone, and I look forward to working collaboratively so that all members of the Caltech community have the opportunity to work and study in an open—but secure—atmosphere."

Clay comes to Caltech from Occidental College, where he served as director and chief of campus safety, responsible for developing and implementing a comprehensive campus security plan, overseeing Clery Act compliance, leading a campus safety advisory committee, and supervising uniformed and administrative personnel, among other responsibilities.

At Occidental, Clay considered himself a "working chief," participating in routine patrols and investigations to help strengthen relationships with students, faculty, and staff.  

Before joining Occidental, he worked for several years in private security and for 28 years with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, earning a meritorious conduct medal for bravery in 1996. In 2012, he retired from the department as a lieutenant, a position in which he managed the Century Station area, one of the most densely populated policing zones in South Central Los Angeles.

At Caltech, Clay will be responsible for designing and executing a campus safety program that reflects best practices in community policing, campus security operations, and crime prevention education and outreach. He will oversee investigations, trainings on Caltech's campus emergency notification system, and parking registration and enforcement processes. Clay will also build and maintain relationships with external law enforcement agencies, including the Pasadena Police Department.