The Cal Poly Police Department is officially under new leadership after a swearing-in ceremony for the chief of police on Friday.
Robert Plastino was sworn in as the head of the university's police department during a ceremony at the Cal Poly Performing Arts Center on Friday morning.
His appointment comes after previous chief George Hughes was promoted in the summer of 2024 to the role of associate vice president of Public Safety, which oversees the police departments at both Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo and the Cal Poly Solano campus, as well as the university’s Transportation and Parking Services and Department of Emergency Services.
“With his extensive background in public safety and working collaboratively with an academic community similar to ours, Robert is going to be a perfect fit with our holistic, compassionate and progressive public safety approach at Cal Poly,” Hughes said in a press release.
Plastino brings more than 27 years of experience with the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office.
In that time, Cal Poly officials say he was in charge of executive management of the department’s north county and south county operations, where he oversaw more than 250 sworn and non-sworn staff, as well as criminal investigations.
His experience also includes years of working collaboratively with UC Santa Barbara administration and student populations, as well as close community relations with Isla Vista residents.
Plastino told KSBY on Friday that he is looking forward to starting his new chapter at Cal Poly.
“To build the trust that's necessary for a community like San Luis Obispo City County, you know, and the university here to function well together, you know, and integrate well together," Plastino said. "I look forward to building those relationships and working on challenging problems that are here that are very unique to the university setting.”
Plastino holds a master’s degree in public administration as well as a Bachelor of Science in business administration.
