RAISING AWARENESS – Dave Nighswonger, SWC’s new chief of police, tells students the dangers of driving under the influence at a drunk driving awareness event on campus.

New Southwestern College Chief Davis Nighswonger has his work cut out for him.

Nighswonger takes over for former SWCPD Chief Michael Cash, whose five-year tenure was filled with controversy, cover-ups, misuse of funds and equipment, and neglect of his basic duties according to an 18-month investigation by the Sun in 2017.

Nighswonger said he wants to make the police department indispensable.

“My goal for the communities we serve is to have a sense that we need the police department because of the services they provide,” he said.

Before joining SWCPD, Nighswonger had a 30-year career in the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.  He climbed the ranks and left the department as a commander who worked directly with the sheriff. He retired in 2014 and taught for the California Police Officers Association. In February, Nighswonger took over as SWCPD’s acting chief of police.

“Certainly there is some uncertainty when a chief leaves,” he said. “They probably thought, ‘who is this big weird guy with a weird name?’”

When Nighswonger first started as acting chief, the department used outdated statistical tracking, records management systems and had multiple policies and procedures that needed updating.

Sgt. Benjamin Gess, a 12 year SWCPD veteran, said Nighswonger is working hard to get everything within regulatory compliance and customizing procedures to meet SWC’s needs.

“He read through the whole policies and procedures manual and updated the whole thing,” Gess said. “There is a lot that he is doing to push the department forward.”

Gess said the new chief, there was no trouble in getting to know him and working together as a department.

“A lot of people say they have an open door policy, but he actually enforces it,” Gess said.

Nighswonger said he wants to improve SWCPD’s support with the community.

“In municipal law enforcement, you are frequently tied running from call to call and when you help someone, you may never see that person again,” Nighswonger said. “Here we have the ability to develop relationships with people.”

Nighswonger said he pushes his employees to go the extra mile because having a close knit community creates more collaborative solutions with faculty and staff.

Chief Public Information and Government Relations Officer Lillian Leopold said Nighswonger brought a lot of great ideas and stability to the college police department.

“He has really been reaching out to speak with students and staff so he’s trying to build a really collaborative relationship among the police department and the college,” Leopold said.