San Jose State University Police Department’s Chief of Police Gina Di Napoli announced her resignation which will take effect on May 14, according to a Thursday campuswide email.
Charlie Faas, vice president for administration and finance, said in the email that starting Thursday, UPD will be overseen by Donny Gordon until a new chief of police is hired.
Gordon currently leads Cal Maritime’s police department and serves as the first chair of the California State University’s Council of Chiefs.
“Chief Gordon is a very experienced CSU campus chief at CSU Maritime,” Faas said in an email Thursday. “He is local and able to provide support without relocating. He will serve as an interim for an undetermined amount of time.”
Faas said the search for the new chief will be launched shortly.
Di Napoli was appointed as chief of police in July 2019 after serving 26 years in Sacramento’s Police Department.
At the time of publication, Di Napoli did not respond to email requests by the Spartan Daily regarding her decision to resign. However, Faas alluded to it having to do with family matters.
“Most people did not realize that her family was still based in Sacramento and she had an apartment here in San Jose,” Faas said. “That’s difficult. Gina hasn’t been able to see her mom this past year either. Gina’s mom is located in England.”
He said Di Napoli has contributed to a number of initiatives, including implementing a community policing protocol at SJSU that assigns a specific officer for every building and department.
She also hired a new Emergency Operations Manager, oversaw the Emergency Operations Center and removed the use of the “Carotid Control Hold” from SJSU policies.
All 23 of the CSU’s police chiefs banned officers from using the carotid hold, according to a June 12, 2020 CSU news release.
In a Carotid Control Hold, pressure is placed on a person’s carotid arteries on either side of the neck, making it difficult to breathe.
UPD Capt. Frank Belcastro said Di Napoli brought back the spirit of community policing to the department and although he’ll miss Di Napoli, he’s happy she’s moving in the direction that is best for her and her family.
“I liked Chief Di Napoli's enthusiasm and energy,” Belcastro said in an Thursday email. “She had a passion for serving the community and it was evident in her work ethic. She really cared about our community.”
