Holyoke – Jacqueline Robles, a native of Springfield, will make history as the first Latin police chief at the Holyoke Community College.
“It is exciting to be the first Latin female in this role, and I hope to be a model for young women and men, especially in the Latin community,” said Robles.
The Holyoke Community College will celebrate its first oath ceremony of the officer on Monday at 10:30 am at the Leslie Phillips Theater, where Robles will swore. You will follow a reception at the Frost building.
“Through its leadership, I think the CAP Robles will further strengthen the University’s new commitment to the Community Police, creating an atmosphere where the students, employees, guests and friends of the College feel supported and safe,” said Marlowe Washington, Vice President of Persons, Culture and Equity of HCC.
Police officer
The HCC Police Department currently has about 15 members. While it is a small force, it is growing, Washington said.
People often think of police departments as municipal, but in higher education, HCC police officers certified by the State position commission, he said.
“They are jurized officers who carry weapons and carry out all the functions of the police of the city or the city, here on the campus,” he said.
When the work description was developed for the next police chief, Washington said that the school wanted someone who had not only police technical skills, but also interpersonal skills to relate to people and promote inclusion.
Despite conducting a national search and raising much more than a dozen applicants, he ended up choosing from the ranks of the department.
“(Robles) perfectly adapted to this bill and was the obvious option,” said Washington. “We were looking for someone who could help heal our campus, gather people and collaborate with kindness and confidence. These are basic values of our campus.”
He said that sometimes all people see are blue uniforms and that they cannot see the person behind this uniform.
“But really these men and women we have know the privat of the gentleness of men and women in our department,” said Washington.
Robles stands out for bringing people to the table, fostering confidence and being kind, but also knows how to deactivate this kindness based on the situation, he said.
Washington said that Robles was a suitable candidate for the highest police position because he has supervision experience and knows where all the skeletons are on the campus.
“She is familiar with aspects and understands the politics and culture of the campus,” she said. “This is the kind of leader we need at the moment at the time for the campus in order to cause a different type of police to the campus, what I call peopling.”
Washington said this new language emphasizes how people relate to each other, focusing on treating each other with kindness and confidence.
He said that the 22 years of robles at work are nothing to stretch -and when the road was hard, he stayed, he said.
“We have had some challenges as a department. During that time, people left, but (Robles) never gave up. Part of why we selected her is the idea that she had power and that the whole crisis persists. I often think that (Robles) is a person who did not escape the crisis. If there is nothing, he runs to the crisis.”
Robles will be the police chief and director of Community Security.
Robles succeeds Scott Livingstone, the police chief withdrawn of Amherst, who has been a temporary police chief in HCC since October 2024.
10/21/2020 -Holyoke- View of the Holyoke Community College. (Don Treeger / The Republican)
Robles was born in Puerto Rico and was raised in Springfield. He speaks with Spanish and believes that, because the department serves a very diverse community, “it only makes sense to have someone in the department that reflects the people we serve,” he said.
Robles said that his mother moved her to Bayamon, Puerto Rico, to a young age.
“I didn’t know Spanish, so it was a whole cultural shock and I hated it at that time. But as I was old, I realized that it was the best thing my mother did for me. I learned about my culture, I learned to appreciate -I learned to speak and write very well Spanish,” he said.
Today, he said that being fluid in Spanish has been beneficial in the work, as being bilingual has helped others to linguistic barriers, guiding them through transitions or assistant -when they needed help.
“If they were victims of a crime, I was offered to accompany them to court and provide support,” he said.
Robles graduated from the Holyoke High School and the Springfield Technical Community College. It comes from a family of police officers, after three brothers and a sister to the law.
After obtaining the Associate Title in Criminal Justice by STCC, Robles started as a security officer at Smith College.
From the campus police to the jurors officers
Robles said that in the mid -1980’s, the department was called Campus Police, which resembled public security safety. He later said that the HCC police department was developed, but remained unarmed for many years.
When Robles joined HCC in 2002 as a patrol officer, the force was still unarmed. He said that the department was armed in 2013 for many reasons.
One was a greater awareness of the dangers and problems of society, especially around the shooting of Columbine High School, Robles said.
“What happened at that time our head put it into play and we made a buzz around it. Luckily, the school agreed and supported this initiative. We had the training we needed and we were able to weapons,” he said.
Over time, things change people change, but even through so many changes the campus police were adapted, Robles said.
In 2016, Robles was promoted to sergeant where he oversaw police officers, attendees, and parking office. Helped start a cadet program for HCC Criminal Justice Students.
Although this is a university, Robles said that the department receives similar calls to those of the Municipal Police.
“We manage everything, from motor vehicle accidents to household calls, numerous medical calls and, unfortunately, drug -related problems are still part of society,” he said.
Their vision
One of the things Robles expects is for the department to prove and get more involved with the campus community.
“I would like to offer training to everyone, obtain a part of our certified police and make the community go out and join us. Our approach is the police based on humanity and we intend to provide the best professional service we can as a university community,” said Robles.
Robles said he seeks to empower as many people as he can, especially colored women and the Latin community.
He also wants to show his children that, if they work hard, they can achieve anything they think. He has four children. His eldest son is a judicial officer in Worcester.
Robles said he was fortunate enough to grow many role models, starting with his mother, who instilled in strong values. As younger 12, with four retired brothers, or is still active in the police, he said he is eager to start.
Law officials, elected officials and members of the Holyoke community university community, along with more than 30 Robles family members, will attend the ceremony on Monday.
Police heads from various colleges in the state community and Holyoke, Amherst and South Hadley will also be attended.
While Holyoke police chief Brian Keenan has not worked with Robles before, he worked with his brother, a newly retired Springfield Narcotics detective, told the Republican for many years.
“I would like to congratulate the CAP Robles on its promotion. He is a dedicated public servant and will serve well on the Holyoke Community College Campus,” said Keenan. “I wish his success and will help in any way that helps to maintain our entire community safe.”
Keenan said that about 75% of the country’s colleges and universities have a police department on the campus.