University Department of Public Safety

Taylor Randall is the 17th president of the University of Utah, the state’s flagship institution of higher education. He joined the U in 1998 as a professor of accounting and led the nationally ranked David Eccles School of Business for 12 years prior to his appointment as the president in 2021.

The first alum in 50 years to hold this position, President Randall has an infectious energy and passion for his alma mater. He has set a bold goal for the University of Utah to become a top 10 public university with unsurpassed societal impact. He believes the U can revolutionize the student experience, change lives through research, and have an impact on all 3.4 million Utahns.

Some of the highlights of his tenure thus far include re-pledging the U’s commitment to serve the state of Utah, opening centers for climate policy and fintech investment, announcing several new living-learning housing projects, hiring the U’s first chief experience officer, and launching plans for a new campus and hospital in West Valley.

President Randall is proud to lead a university that is a top-tier research institution, the state’s largest employer, a member of the Association of American Universities, and home to University of Utah Health, the only academic medical center in the state of Utah.

As Chief Safety Officer of the University of Utah, Keith Squires is responsible for the oversight and coordination of all campus safety initiatives, as well as supervising the university's public safety divisions.

He served in Governor Gary Herbert’s cabinet as the Utah Commissioner of Public Safety, retiring in September 2018 after 31 years of service as a law enforcement officer. He served as the homeland security advisor for Governors Huntsman and Herbert. Keith has served the state in many other capacities, including as director of the State Bureau of Investigation, assistant superintendent of the Utah Highway Patrol, and director of Emergency Management and Homeland Security. Keith served as a state and local law enforcement advisor to U.S. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper.

He holds a master’s degree in homeland defense and security from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School and a bachelor’s degree in administration of criminal justice. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and FBI National Executive Institute.

Jill McCluskey is the mother of Lauren McCluskey, the honors student athlete who was murdered in 2018 at age 21 on the University of Utah campus. In response to this tragedy, McCluskey founded the Lauren McCluskey Foundation with a primary mission of improving campus safety and a focus on the response to victims. McCluskey is also a Regents Professor and Director of the School of Economic Sciences at Washington State University. She holds a Ph.D. from UC Berkeley.

Stephen L. Nelson is an Assistant United States Attorney and currently serves as the Anti-Gang Coordinator for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah. Over the course of his 20-year career as a prosecutor, Steve has tried approximately 80 felony cases to juries in state and federal courts in Utah involving homicides, attempted homicides, aggravated sexual offenses, RICO, drive-by shootings, robberies, drug conspiracies, and other crimes.

Steve earned his J.D. and Ph.D. from the University of Utah where he also currently serves as an Assistant Professor (Lecturer) in the Department of Political Science. Steve has taught over 5,000 undergraduate and graduate students in his 18-year teaching career.

The Utah Statewide Information and Analysis Center (SIAC) is one of 80 fusion centers located throughout the U.S. that collaborates with local and federal public safety partners to create information-sharing networks. The SIAC, like other fusion centers, works as an integral conduit to the United States intelligence community, such as the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Agency, and others. The SIAC supports Utah law enforcement with case support, criminal information reports, and threat assessments, focusing on crimes conducted in drug and human trafficking, criminal gangs, cyber threats, terrorism, mass threats of violence, and others.

Serving as Chief of Staff, Chris is responsible for strategic planning, project management, policy development, accreditation, and legislative research. He has 27 years of public safety experience, including 23 years with the South Salt Lake Police Department, retiring as Chief of Police in 2014.

He is a past recipient of the Utah Chiefs of Police Association, Chief of the Year award, and has been recognized by the Utah Council on Victims of Crime for his dedication to victim services. Chris is also a graduate of the 239th Session of the FBI National Academy.

Prior to serving as Chief of Staff, Chris managed training and professional standards for the Health Security Division. He is a certified Crisis Prevention Institute instructor and workplace violence prevention specialist. He has taught numerous University of Utah Health employees and has presented at multiple conferences both locally and nationwide.

Ms. Chin Rodger is the mother of Elliot Rodger. On May, 23, 2014 in Isla Vista California near UC Santa Barbara, Elliot killed six people and wounded 14 before taking his own life as he was being pursued by police. In a 137-page document emailed out to friends and family just before his attack and in videos posted on YouTube, Elliot detailed his frustrations and rage over his profound social isolation and his resentment toward those who had what he desperately wished to have – an intimate partner relationship with a female. As a result, Elliot’s name became synonymous with the “incel” movement, an indelible connection that persists to this day.

Chin has collaborated and supported individuals and organizations working on threat assessment, prevention and management. She is continuing to focus her efforts on understanding the pathway to targeted violence and the path forward for assessment, prevention and management. Chin is a board member of The Jesse Lewis Choose Love Movement having connected with Scarlett Lewis after both experienced the most profound loss from opposite ends of their tragedies -working to bring character and social emotional development to children, and adults in schools, workplace and communities - to choose love, hope and kindness over fear, anger and hate.

Stuart oversees the U’s Emergency Management division. He served as the interim director of Emergency Management for the University of Utah for a decade, facilitating and coordinating operational responses, as well as emergency planning, training, and exercises. He holds a Certified Emergency Manager (CEM) designation from the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) and has served as a regional representative for the IAEM University and College Caucus. Stuart has been an active participant in the Utah Emergency Management Association (UEMA) as a member, board member and conference speaker. He holds an honors bachelor’s degree in disaster management from the University of Utah.

LaRhonda Johnson Horton currently serves as the Director for Student Support and Accountability at the University of Utah. She is an experienced educator, thought leader and higher education administrator. As a practitioner, she supports individuals and institutions with proactively identifying, appropriately responding, and optimally resolving challenges. LaRhonda is dedicated to educating the university community on how to be effective leaders with regards to student support and accountability practices encompassing research, best practices, and well-being strategies. Johnson-Horton earned a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies from Elon University, Master of Education in College Student Personnel Administration from James Madison University.

Robert Payne has been a lawyer in the University’s Office of General Counsel since 2001. He currently holds the role of Deputy General Counsel. Robert graduated with his law degree from the University of Utah in 1989 and worked for the Honorable Gregory K. Orme on the Utah Court of Appeals. For the next eleven years Robert was a commercial litigation attorney with the law firms of Snell & Wilmer (1998-2001) and Van VanCott, Bagley, Cornwall & McCarthy (1990-1998). Robert advises the University on numerous legal issues including student academic and behavioral issues, athletics issues, research misconduct and First Amendment issues. Robert advises the University’s Behavioral Intervention and Threat Assessment Teams.

Hilary White joined the University of Utah in August of 2020 and currently serves as the Crime Victim Advocate Coordinator within the University of Utah Police Department. The Team of Crime Victim Advocates provides specialized support to victims and survivors of interpersonal violence who are engaged with the criminal justice system. The Team is available 24/7 through an on-call rotation that allows Advocates to provide crisis support, safety planning, resources and response to crime scenes alongside police at any hour of the day.

Before coming to the University, she worked in several roles at YWCA Utah, supporting survivors of domestic violence, stalking, sexual assault, and human trafficking. She graduated from Loyola University Chicago in 2016 where she obtained her Juris Doctor and Masters in Social Work. Her passions include cats, Disney, and reducing and ameliorating the suffering of others through empowerment and healing.

Dustin Banks is a Director of Support Services for University of Utah Health (U of U Health). Currently overseeing operations for customer and volunteer services, guest relations, interpretive services, telecommunications and oversight for security and law enforcement contracts.

During his 18 years with U of U Health, Banks has overseen many efforts in building systems that has led to the improvement of overall safety of healthcare personnel. Specifically, chair of the Healthcare Behavioral Intervention Team as well co-chair for the creation of Code BERT (Behavioral Emergency Response Team) that responds to acute behavioral issues.

Erica (she/hers) is the Supportive Measures Manager with the Office of Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action, and Title IX. She’s worked with OEO since 2019 and has served on BIT since that time. Before working with OEO, she worked in community health and adult education. She’s a lazy gardener who grows tangled thickets of vegetables, flowers, fruit and weeds.

Brian Nicholls is a long time University of Utah community member, and is passionate about making a difference in higher education. Brian received his bachelor’s degree in speech communication and conflict management from the University of Utah, followed by a juris doctorate from the University of Utah as well. Brian then began working for the University's Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action (OEO/AA) where he was an investigator/consultant for six years until he was elevated to an Associate Director role, supervising the investigations of all discrimination complaints at the University of Utah. In the fall of 2020 Brian transitioned into a unique role at the U, as the Special Assistant to the Chief Safety Officer – in a position designed to bridge the space between the Divisions of Student Affairs, Safety, and Equity Diversity and Inclusion. In this specially crafted position, Brian coordinates community engagement initiatives with organizations across campus, as well as facilitates new response protocols developed by the Racist and Bias Incident Response Team. Additionally, Brian helps serves on the Behavioral Intervention Team (BIT) and heads the efforts to coordinate between BIT and the Threat Assessment Team.

Reuban Torres has more than 25 years of Law Enforcement service and loves his job. Reuban began his career with the Salt Lake City Police Dept. in 1997 and worked various assignments that include patrol, training, working in an undercover capacity, full time SWAT team member, Gang Unit Detective, Motor Officer, Task Force Officer with the ATF, and a Robbery & Violent Crimes Detective.

In 2019 Reuban decided to make a big change and join the University of Utah Police dept. He served time on patrol and then opted to promote up the ranks. He is currently the Lieutenant over the Investigations Unit and he currently oversees all cases that come into the police dept. Throughout his career he has enjoyed handling major crime scenes, investigations, personnel issues, training and mentoring officers, sergeants, and working with Victim Advocates and campus partners.

Reuban served in the United States Marine Corps and is proud of his military heritage. During this time he got to see the world, and to this day he still applies valuable life skills he learned while he was in the Marines. Reuban is currently in the process of getting his Bachelor’s degree and is excited about this new venture. In his spare time, Reuban enjoys spending time with his family and especially his grandson.

Ken Stonebrook is the Associate Dean of Students at the University of Utah where he oversees a team of professionals responsible for student support and accountability. Prior to joining the University of Utah, Ken served as the Dean of Students & Assistant Vice President at Salt Lake Community College. During that time, Ken was the College’s Title IX Coordinator and oversaw the Disability Resource Center, Center for Health and Wellness, and Behavioral Intervention Team (BIT). In addition to his work in higher education, Ken spent over 8 years as a victim advocate at Salt Lake City Police Department supporting victims/survivors of violent crimes.

Chris Linder, associate professor of Higher Education in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy, is the center's inaugural director. Chris' research interests focus on sexual violence on college campuses and student activism.

Prior to becoming faculty, Chris worked for 10 years as a campus victim advocate. Chris' most recent scholarship on relationship and sexual violence includes the book "Sexual Violence on Campus: Power-Conscious Approaches to Awareness, Prevention, and Response," published in 2018. Additionally, she co-edited the book, "Intersections of Identity and Sexual Violence on Campus," published in 2017. In her spare time, Chris enjoys cooking and running in the mountains.

Supervisory Special Agent Ben Binger has worked for the FBI for approximately 17 years with expertise in Domestic Terrorism, Weapons of Mass Destruction, and active shooter response.

Chief Blair Barfuss has worked in public safety for over twenty-two years, holding a variety of assignments and responsibilities including Patrol and Training Unit Commander, Special Victims Unit Supervisor, Homicide and Major Crimes Supervisor, SWAT Team Leader, Youth Investigations/SRO Supervisor, Community Oriented Policing Unit, and many others.

Chief Blair earned his master’s degree from the USU Huntsman School of Business, a Graduate Certificate in Public Safety Leadership from the University of Virginia, and is a graduate of the FBI’s National Academy with Session #265.

Chief Blair and his wife have three daughters, and he enjoys competing in triathlons and reading world history.

Executive Officer Erik Christensen has worked in public safety for 10 years, with two years in EMS and eight in law enforcement. At USU, he has served in patrol, investigations, and as the university’s Clery compliance officer for the past three years. XO Christensen earned a bachelor’s degree in Agribusiness from Utah State University, an executive certificate in applied business analytics from the Sloan School of Management at MIT and is currently applying for admission to graduate school in pursuit of an MBA. XO Christensen and his wife have two daughters, and he enjoys road trips with his family, gardening, and restoring old tractors.

Jason Hinojosa has just over 28 years of law enforcement and public safety experience. He served in several capacities with Layton PD throughout his career including as an assistant team leader on SWAT, traffic enforcement, accident investigation and reconstruction, field training officer, and later promoted to the rank of sergeant. He was later promoted to lieutenant where he served as the patrol division commander, and then completing his career as the investigations division commander where he supervised detectives, school resource officers, and also served as the coordinator for the Davis County Child Abduction Response Team. He retired at the rank of lieutenant from the Layton City Police Department in January 2018. He later worked in the private sector as public safety and security manager for a major gas pipeline company where he worked on security and regulatory compliance as well as supporting human resources and employee relations departments with employee investigations. These investigations ranged from employee theft to sexual harassment and racial bias complaints. In April of 2019 he joined the University Police and was brought in at the rank of lieutenant and placed over investigations where he implemented several improvements to the unit. Jason was later promoted to deputy chief, and then acting chief. During his time as the acting chief, he has striven to continuously improve police services on campus, build trust and understanding with the community, and create a safer environment for all who live, work, visit, and study at the U. He has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice with a minor in psychology from Weber State University and is a graduate of the FBI National Academy session 266.

Jason and his wife, Krystn, have been together for 25 years and are recent “empty nesters.” Their youngest of four daughters is a freshman at the U. In his downtime, he enjoys thrifting with his wife, riding motorcycles, and golf.