District Police Chief Takes Oath

Joseph Paulino was sworn in as the San Bernardino City Unified School District (SBCUSD) Police Department's chief of police during a special district ceremony held at the National Orange Show. District Superintendent Dr. Dale Marsden officially swore in Paulino in the afternoon ceremony attended by law enforcement officers from throughout Southern California. Paulino moves to the position of chief of police after serving as the interim chief of police for four years and after a total 17 years with the department. Marsden cited Paulino's problem-solving skills, his ties in the community and his passion for making a positive difference in the lives of students as traits that made Paulino ideal for the position. "Chief Paulino has a strong vision for making hope happen for our students and our community. With Chief Paulino in this key leadership position, our district, our schools and our students will be safer," Marsden said. Paulino said, "Especially in a K-12 setting, we can really work hard to set the example for our youth. As police officers in uniform, we can help kids enjoy the education process and make sure kids are in a safe place where they can learn." Paulino has served in several law enforcement capacities with the district since he joined in 1997. Prior to working with the SBCUSD Police Department, he served in the US Army for 10 years and graduated in 1993 from Rio Hondo College Police Academy. Paulino also worked in law enforcement in LA County and concurrently worked as a security officer with the Rialto Unified School District before joining SBCUSD. Additionally, he graduated from the FBI National Academy, an elite four-month training program for the nation’s top law enforcement leaders, in 2007. While there, Paulino studied the issue of school violence. As police chief, Paulino oversees a department of 26 sworn police officers, 55 campus security officers and more than 10 support staff. The district police department's duties include ensuring the safety of the district's 53,000 students and protecting district property. Paulino said his goals as police chief are to maintain a safe and comfortable environment that is also interactive with the community. "My goals are to make sure we have a well-trained police force that is really cognizant of our community engagement, to create a police department that when the community sees it, they're proud of our efforts. We want to create a positive future for our youth and protect the right to safe schools," and technology is a large part of that, Paulino explained. "We want to use technology to reach out to community members and partners, law enforcement partners and neighboring districts," Paulino said. Also in Paulino’s focus is providing opportunities for students to have positive interactions with police officers through efforts like the Junior Police Explorers Program, currently in place at King Middle School and Rodriguez PREP Academy. Under Paulino's leadership, the district formed a Safe Schools Task Force in 2012 to improve school safety. Paulino said his office is always open to the community. "My office is the community's office. I see the community as my family and it is always open to community members reaching out to provide information that is instrumental in keeping our schools and community safe," Paulino said. The SBCUSD Police Department is located at 536 W. Baseline in San Bernardino. The daytime telephone number is 909-388-6030. Emergency 24-hour phone numbers for immediate assistance are: 909-388-6130 or 909-889-6833.