BERKELEY — University of California officials announced Monday that former acting U.S. Capitol Police Chief Yogananda Pittman will assume leadership of the campus police department in February.
Pittman, who announced her retirement last week from the Capitol Police effective early next year, served as that department’s acting chief after the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection, during a time when it drew scrutiny over intelligence assessments in the run-up to thousands of rioters’ storming of the Capitol grounds and clashes with law enforcement during certification of the 2020 presidential election’s results.
UC officials offered their praise for Pittman’s tenure during a tumultuous time, as well as support for her potential in guiding the department in the wake of current UC Police Chief Margo Bennett’s retirement, announced in October.
“Nothing is more important than the safety and well-being of our community, and I am confident that Yogananda Pittman has all of the skills, qualities and experience necessary to excel as our next police chief at UC Berkeley,” UC Chancellor Carol Christ said in a statement.
“Chief Pittman’s remarkable record of achievement and her steadfast commitment to reform and social justice make her perfectly suited for this essential leadership role on the Berkeley campus.”
UC Berkeley Vice Chancellor for Administration Marc Fisher echoed Christ’s support.
“The environment for policing on large, urban campuses is highly challenging. This is a nationwide phenomenon, and Berkeley is not immune. But in Chief Pittman, we have a leader of incredible personal and professional experience. She has confronted extraordinary challenges and achieved very strong results, both in policing and community building,” Fisher said. “We are very fortunate to have her join the Berkeley community.”
Pittman, who was sworn in as a Capitol Police officer hours after the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks, rose through the department’s ranks to become one of only two Black women to achieve the rank of captain.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Morgan State University in Baltimore and a master’s degree in public administration from Marist College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., and is working toward her Ph.D. from West Chester University in Pennsylvania, assembling a thesis on gender diversity in law enforcement.
“When I came onto the Capitol Police force, there were zero persons of color in leadership and definitely not any women — zero, none,” Pittman told a UC Berkeley interviewer.
“It was not easy. As I continued to get promoted, I was oftentimes the only woman and always the only person of color in the room. And more often than not, people let me know that I wasn’t welcome, that I wasn’t part of the team. They questioned my capabilities.
“But coming from my hometown, from my parents and from Morgan State University, your mind is trained to believe just the opposite: ‘I am just as good, if not better, than anybody in this room.'”
At the time of the Jan. 6 insurrection, she was the department’s assistant chief of protective and intelligence operations, tasked with overseeing the capitol’s security and assessing threats to lawmakers’ safety. After the department’s chief resigned in the attack’s wake, Pittman assumed leadership and faced criticism for the department’s preparedness levels, as well as fallout over the damage to the institution she had served.
In the months following the attack, the department worked to reform its practices, acquiring new communications equipment and changing officer training, outreach and coordination with outside law-enforcement agencies, as well as recruitment programs.
In a statement, Pittman said she plans to hold meetings during her first 100 days, starting Feb. 1, 2023, with various community stakeholders around campus safety and security.
“Once I understand what everyone’s concerns are, then we’ll be able to come up with ways to address those concerns,” Pittman said in part Monday.
“To achieve change, it helps to have leaders who have deep professional experience, but who also know the perspective of people who have been on the receiving end of unfortunate encounters with law enforcement.”
The Cal police department has about 140 officers, community safety officers and staff, with an annual budget of $15 million, according to university staff.
Contact George Kelly at 408-859-5180.
