Former UCLA Police Chief John Thomas left the school’s department on Tuesday.
“December 10, 2024 was former UCLA Police Chief John Thomas’s last day at UCLA and the UCLA Police Department,” said a statement on UCLAPD’s X account. “UCLA Police Capt. Scott Scheffler will serve as interim chief of police until a permanent chief is selected.”
It is unclear whether Thomas resigned or whether the end of his term came about in some other way.
That was him previously “transferred” in May after the tumultuous protests over the war in Gaza, that saw hundreds of people arrested as counter-protesters clashed at the makeshift encampments set up by demonstrators. That decision followed the university’s own investigation into the safety processes they had in place at the time of the protests.
Thomas was heavily criticized for the department’s response to clashes on campus, as well as for the way the encampments were dismantled with the help of other local law enforcement agencies.
Related: UCLA creates new office to oversee campus security after violence surrounding pro-Palestinian encampment
Thomas was named chief of police for the school in January 2023. He was previously a lieutenant with the Los Angeles Police Department and served as executive director of the University of Southern California’s Department of Public Safety from 2013 to 2022.
