Oakland University Police Chief Samuel Lucido is retiring after 11 years at OU.

The retirement, effective Jan. 3, will coincide with Lucido’s 42nd year in law enforcement.

The announcement came in a campuswide email sent by Vice President of Finance and Administration John Beaghan.

“More than anything else, the Chief’s considerate and approachable demeanor – not to mention a tireless work ethic – provided a steadying influence throughout campus,”  Beaghan wrote.

Lucido said he enjoyed his time at OU.

” The administration has always been very supportive of our safety and security needs for the campus, as well as faculty and staff and most especially our students ,” he said. “We have a terrific student body that’s always been very supportive of police operations and our attempts to improve.”

Lucido said the campus community pulled together when the situation called for it.

“”I’ll tell you the saddest day that I had as police chief was the suicide of a young student (Corey Jackson) a couple of years ago,” he said. “It was just a devastating time for the student’s family in dealing with that, as well as the campus community having to deal with that. It was difficult, but we all kind of came together and were able to respond appropriately to that event.”

He said partnerships with local law enforcement were key in preparing for major campus events like the Republican presidential debate held at the O’rena, as well as during training exercises.

Beaghan credited Lucido with efforts to integrate new technologies to improve security and safety on campus grounds. Lucido will continue to be around OU.

“There is no question Chief Lucido will be missed by many here at Oakland,” Beaghan wrote. “I am pleased to say that, in addition to serving the campus through one more very busy fall semester, he will continue to impact Oakland University in the future through his ongoing teaching of criminal justice courses on campus.”

A national search will be conducted for Lucido’s replacement.