UW News

January 24, 2008

Ray Wittmier appointed interim UW police chief

Ray Wittmier, who has served as assistant chief of the UW Police Department since 2003, has been appointed interim chief effective Feb. 1, Vice Provost for Student Life Eric Godfrey has announced.

Wittmier will serve until a permanent replacement is found for Chief Vicky Stormo, who is retiring at the end of January.

Wittmier has been with the UW Police Department since 1979. He holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Washington State University.

Wittmier was promoted to sergeant in 1993 and lieutenant in 2001. As assistant chief, he was in charge of field operations for two years, overseeing more than 50 individuals performing patrol, 911 dispatching and parking enforcement duties. In 2005 he moved to support services, overseeing accreditation, internal investigations, the hiring process, crime prevention, records and homeland security, as well as all detectives. He also has served as the department’s public information officer for the past three years.

The department has the exclusive responsibility to act upon law enforcement matters and perform police functions for the UW Seattle campus. The department has a Detective Unit, Crime Prevention Unit and Field Operations Unit. The department has achieved national accreditation through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies.