Craig Valenzuela  

Chief of the UCLA Police Department  

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Chief Craig Valenzuela, a UCLA alumnus with a B.A. in Political Science (1996), returned to campus in 2025 to lead the UCLA Police Department after an accomplished career spanning nearly three decades with the Los Angeles Police Department.  

During his LAPD tenure, Chief Valenzuela held numerous leadership roles, including commanding officer of the North Hollywood Patrol Division and the Metropolitan Division. In these positions, he provided oversight in the San Fernando Valley, South Los Angeles and the department’s traffic group, demonstrating a strategic and community-centered approach to public safety.  

Chief Valenzuela graduated from prestigious programs such as the FBI National Academy, the Sherman Block Supervisory Leadership Institute and the LAPD’s Command Development Program. He also earned a master’s in public administration from the University of Southern California.