Kevin McCabe, commander of administrative services with the University of New Mexico Police Department, will become police chief on July 1, according to a UNM press release.
McCabe will replace Kathy Guimond, who is retiring at the end of June. Guimond served nearly 20 years as UNMPD’s police chief.
McCabe has nearly 30 years of combined law enforcement experience, he said.
In his 24-year career with APD, McCabe said he dealt mostly with criminal investigations and building partnerships between the community and APD.
After retiring as APD’s deputy chief of police, McCabe joined UNMPD in 2010.
During his four years as commander of administrative services for UNMPD, McCabe said he dealt with the budget, records management and special events.
His familiarity with the UNM campus and police force will benefit him in his transition to chief, he said.
“The last four years have been a great education,” he said. “The goal here is for young adults to come and get a good education and have a good educational experience, and I think the police department here is part of helping making that happen.”
While McCabe believes UNM campus is already safe, he said that won’t stop him from trying to make it better.
“I feel it is a relatively safe campus and it’s always an ongoing process of how we can make it better, how we can improve,” he said.
McCabe has made improvements to the UNMPD website, and one thing he plans to focus on during his time as police chief is utilizing technology to interact with the campus, he said.
McCabe did not say whether he had any specific reforms in mind, but said he does not plan on changing the overall mission of UNMPD.
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“I would like us to see us stay on course, to continue to make our focus being just that of making this a safe and secure campus,” he said.
Mychal Miltenberger is a freelance reporter for the Daily Lobo. Contact him at news@dailylobo.com.
