UMDPD Police Chief crowned.

BY EMILY NESS | the Statesman University of Minnesota Duluth Police Officer Sean Huls is receiving some well deserved attention after becoming the Chief of Police on Dec. 28th, 2015.

Prior to this promotion, Huls served as interim head of the department on two separate occasions. The first was from 2011 to 2012 after the retirement of Lt. Anne Peterson. The second was in 2015 with the retirement of Capt. Scott Drewlo.

“I was fortunate to learn a lot from the people that I worked with,” Huls said. “I inherited a pretty strong department.”

Huls began working for the University of Minnesota Duluth Police Department (UMDPD) 16 years ago and has remained there ever since.

“I fell in love with UMD,” Huls said.

In addition to his work experience with the UMDPD, Huls worked in Corrections for the State of Minnesota, as well as the U.S. Navy where he participated in campaigns in Serbia, Bosnia and the Persian Gulf.

“During my time in the military, I developed a passion for serving others,” Huls said.

His passion for serving others is apparent in the goals he has set for UMD.

“My first goal is to improve our community policing and outreach efforts.”

Huls hopes that the community and the Duluth Police Department can work together more than they have in the past.

He also plans to enhance safety precautions in the case of an emergency. This would include a better emergency response plan for what to do in the case of an armed gunman, for example.

“My third goal is to enhance sexual assault awareness and protection.”

He wants to educate all students about the dangers of sexual assault and how to prevent and avoid becoming victimized.

“My final goal is to heighten staffing levels.”

Being a 24-hour, year-round operation under a budget can make it difficult to maintain a large staff.

“It takes many to work around the clock.”

Despite these challenges, Huls still believes that safety should be a No. 1 priority and is working with the university to solve the staff scarcity problem that they are facing.

In the meantime Huls’ family and friends are very happy about his promotion.

“They had some apprehension, as it is a demanding job,” Huls said. “Their support has been great though.”

“I am truly honored that students, faculty, and staff have entrusted me with this position.”