Chief of Police Mark Sparks Announces Retirement

Thu, 21 Jun 2018 10:24:32 -0400

Dear Members of the UMBC Community,

After 38 years of service in law enforcement and public safety, Chief of Police Mark Sparks has announced he will retire from UMBC, effective June 30, 2018. Please join us in celebrating his career and outstanding service to the UMBC community at a reception on June 29, 3-5 p.m., in the Commons Skylight Room. Light refreshments will be available. If you would like to contribute towards a gift, please contact Paul Dillon, pdillon@umbc.edu.

Over the past eight years as Chief of Police, Chief Sparks has contributed to the UMBC community in many ways. He has led important projects, including parking expansion and emergency preparedness training and has restructured the department's rules and procedures to implement modern police practices. In 2016, under his leadership, UMBC police was nationally recognized for the quality of its personnel policies, processes, and procedures—the department's first accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies. Chief Sparks has also supported several critical campus- and system-wide initiatives as an advisor and expert, including serving on UMBC's smoke-free campus task force, 50th Anniversary Committee, and Neighbor Relations Group and representing the university on USM's Chief of Police Council. Prior to joining UMBC in 2010, Chief Sparks held several positions of increasing responsibility at the University of Maryland, College Park, including interim Chief of Police.

I am very pleased to announce that Deputy Chief of Police Paul Dillon has accepted the appointment of Chief of Police, following Mark Sparks' retirement at the end of the month. Deputy Chief Dillon will be responsible for leading campus police and parking services. He has more than 30 years of experience in law enforcement, eight with UMBC. In this role, he has applied his knowledge and expertise to ensure a safe and secure environment for the campus community and has been instrumental in many key public safety initiatives at UMBC. This includes implementing the campus text alert system, developing customized training formats for emergency preparedness, and supporting Facilities Management and campus leadership on many high-profile construction projects.

Please join me in expressing our gratitude for all Mark Sparks has done for UMBC and in congratulating and supporting Paul Dillon in his new role as Chief of Police.

Lynne Schaefer, Vice President for Administration and Finance