UCLA police chief resigns amid criticism of security lapses during pro-Palestinian campus protests

WESTWOOD, LOS ANGELES (KABC) — UCLA Police Chief John Thomas resigned after strong criticism of security lapses during the time pro-Palestinian protests on campus at the beginning of this year.

In a social media post, the UCLA Police Department said Thomas’ last day with UCLA was Tuesday. The post did not say what prompted the departure or whether it was a mutual decision.

Thomas has been redeployed by the university in May amid internal and external investigations into how the university handled those protests.

During the violence that erupted in early May, UCLA students and others involved in the protest camp had to fend for themselves against attackers for three hours before law enforcement moved in to quell the disturbance.

Although Thomas said he did everything he could to protect students, a review by a national law enforcement consulting agency found there was no real plan, which ultimately led to chaos on campus.

Thomas previously worked at USC and spent 21 years working for the LAPD.

UCLA Police Capt. Scott Scheffler will serve as interim police chief until a permanent chief is selected, the university said.

“I hope the officers you see on campus and in the surrounding community, along with our support staff behind the scenes, will provide outstanding customer service,” Scheffler said. department website.

City News Service contributed to this report.