Associate Vice President of Public Safety and Chief of Police
Rodney J. Theis
University of Toledo Associate Vice President of Public Safety and Chief of Police
Associate Vice President of Public Safety and Chief of Police Rodney J. Theis joined The University of Toledo Police Department in 1998. Chief Theis earned his peace officer certification from CJ Tech in Toledo. Prior to becoming a UToledo police officer, Chief Theis was a student worker for the UTPD. He earned an associate degree in law enforcement technology from UToledo in 1996 and a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from UToledo in 1998. In 2008 he graduated from the Penn State Police Executive program and attended the inaugural class of the UToledo Leadership Development program in 2011. In 2014 Chief Theis received his master’s degree from UToledo in Education with a focus on Higher Education Administration. In 2019 he graduated as a member of Class #23 from the distinguished C.L.E.E. program (Certified Law Enforcement Executive). Chief Theis served as a patrol officer from 1998 until his promotion to Lieutenant in 2007. In 2011 he was promoted to the rank of Deputy Chief. In 2019 he was named as the Assistant Director of Public Safety/Deputy Chief of Police, providing leadership in other areas within public safety. In 2022 Chief Theis was promoted to Director of Public Safety/Chief of Police before his most recent promotion to Associate Vice President of Public Safety and Chief of Police in December of 2023.
Theis served as a key role in the integration of public safety operations following the 2006 merger of the University of Toledo and the Medical University of Ohio. He was also integral to the creation of the Public Safety Center opening in 2020, home to the UT Police Department and Toledo Post for the Ohio State Highway Patrol. Since his promotion to Chief, Theis has placed a focus on leveraging technology to create efficiencies and a more safe and secure campus community. In late 2023, the police department completed a large project focused on the implementation of an automatic license plate reader system that creates a virtual perimeter around its main and health science campuses. Previous phases of the project included installing new in-car cameras that integrate into the new ALPR system.
Associate Vice President of Public Safety Theis leads approximately 75 employees from police, hospital security, and environmental health and radiation safety who make up the Office of Public Safety with an overall budget of over 7 million dollars. AVP Theis also has responsibility for the numerous external law enforcement, emergency medical services employees and external contract security employees who supplement the university's full-time employees and works to help secure special events on the campuses and operations at the University of Toledo Medical Center.