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Western Carolinian Volume 70 Number 01

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  • Gene McAbee WCU Bids Farewell to Chief McAbee, Welcomes Chief Johnson By Maegan Cleckley | WCNewsmagazine Western: Carolina University said farewell to former. police chief, Gene McAbee, who retired this summer. July 1 marked the end of the former chiefs 18. year reign as Director of University Police, and the beginning of, what is sure to be, Tom Johnson's prestigious career as the new chief of police here at Western. While we welcome Johnson to our close- knit community, it goes without saying that Gene McAbee will be missed. In his 18 years at WCU, McAbee has become a distinguished member of our Western community. He has devoted his time and energy to ensure that the safety of Westerns students and faculty is maintained. Before his arrival at WCU, McAbee worked for police departments in Greenville and East Carolina University. He is also a past president of the NC Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators. With his arrival at. Western came the implementation of programs such as Violence in the Campus Workplace and Crime and Prevention: Getting a Safe College Education, in which he was coordinator. Aside from these programs, Chief McAbee also sat on the University Advisory Council and became an active member of the SPARC (Study to Prevent Alcohol-Related Consequences) coalition. McAbees contributions to Western versed those of police work. Following the disaster of Hurricane Floyd in 99, Chief McAbee headed Westerns campus-wide disaster relief effort to provide aide to his old alma mater, East Carolina University. It was also in that year in. which he showed his involvement in WCUs religious community. The Millennium section in Trail of Light, an interfaith drama, was written by McAbee himself. In 2004, Chief McAbees dedication to our university was honored by Chancellor Bardo. He was 2004's recipient of the Paul A. Reid Service Award. Chief McAbee has gone to great lengths to provide a safe environment for WCU. His cordial manner and extensive experience in law enforcement has made us all feel protected and secure. Western certainly wishes him well in his retirement and sincerely thanks him for years of devoted service to our community. As the saying goes, when one door closes, another is sure to open. Walking through it will be Western's new Chief of Police, Tom Johnson. Johnsons knowledge of law enforcement dates WCU OPI RELEASE back to his days at Troy. State University where he graduated magna cum laude with a bachelors degree in criminal justice. He later received his masters degree in psychology at the University of West Florida. In the years that followed, Johnson served as police lieutenant at the University of West Florida and police chief at Marshall University. He has also taught criminal justice and psychology at the police academy and at the university level. _ Prior to accepting the position at Western, Johnson served as Chief of Police at Mississippi State University. Johnson's hard work did not go unnoticed, as he has received a Medal of Bravery in 1988 and the Gabor Award of Excellence in 1993. As Johnson becomes acclimated to his new position at WCU, he has stated that his goal is to work towards the accreditation of Westerns police department. With 30 years of law enforcement experience under his belt, we have strong confidence that Johnson will achieve that goal. We also welcome him to our close family and are looking forward to him becoming an integral part of our community. DLDLLDLD LAPP LAPP PP DD I~
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