SCOTs Sergeant

Overview

Under limited supervision and at the direction of the chief of police or designee, the SCOTs division sergeant plans, coordinates, supervises, and evaluates specialized police functions involving criminal investigations, intelligence, threat assessment and management, strategic investigations, organizational planning, data-informed public-safety initiatives, executive support, and assigned strategic programs.

The SCOTs sergeant provides direct supervision and leadership to sworn and civilian personnel assigned to the SCOTS division and coordinates the work of employees, task forces, committees, and subject-matter specialists whose responsibilities support the division mission.

The position has primary supervisory responsibility for the departmental behavioral threat assessment and management function and as the designee of the Chief of Police, coordination and management of the university multidisciplinary Threat Assessment Management Team (TAMT). Prior professional experience in behavioral threat assessment and management, especially experience supervising or leading threat-management work, is preferred but is not required for eligibility.

The SCOTs sergeant works collaboratively with the Thistle and Highland divisions. SCOTs generally owns follow-up and complex criminal investigations, intelligence, threat assessment and management, strategic investigations, analytics, and assigned strategic initiatives; Thistle maintains primary responsibility for patrol and field response; and Highland maintains primary responsibility for planned major-event coordination, community engagement, institutional partnerships, compliance, accreditation, and assigned programs.

Responsibilities

Division Leadership and Administration

• Supervises, develops, and evaluates sworn and civilian SCOTS personnel; establishes priorities, expectations, assignments, and accountability; develops employees and organizational capability rather than concentrating specialized knowledge or responsibility in individual employees; coordinates division workload and resources; represents SCOTS within the department and with university and outside partners; and maintains appropriate continuity and succession within specialized functions.

Threat Assessment and Management

• Provides supervisory leadership for the department behavioral threat assessment and management program. Coordinates law-enforcement participation in TAMT and supports multidisciplinary identification, assessment, management, documentation, and monitoring of concerning behavior at Utah State University. Ensures threat-management activities are based on behavior and reasonably available information rather than protected characteristics, viewpoints, or unsupported assumptions. Coordinates appropriate information sharing, case management, intervention planning, reassessment, documentation, and transition or closure of cases. Develops and maintains relationships with university, mental-health, student-support, legal, human-resources, and public-safety partners necessary for effective multidisciplinary threat management.

Criminal Investigations

• Supervises follow-up, complex, sensitive, and specialized criminal investigations assigned to SCOTs as well as all criminal investigations at USUPD after Thistle Division has finished preliminary investigation. Reviews investigative priorities, case assignments, investigative plans, legal process, reports, case progress, and case disposition. Ensures investigations are lawful, objective, timely, appropriately documented, and coordinated with prosecutors and partner agencies when necessary. Develops investigative capability in assigned personnel while avoiding unnecessary dependence on the sergeant personally conducting specialized investigations.

Intelligence and Strategic Investigations

• Supervises criminal intelligence, protective intelligence, open-source research, strategic investigations, and other authorized intelligence activities. Establishes appropriate collection priorities and ensures information is evaluated for reliability, relevance, legal authority, and operational significance. Coordinates information sharing with appropriate law-enforcement and university partners while maintaining applicable privacy, civil-rights, records, and information-security requirements.

Strategic Planning and Organizational Development

• Supports the chief and command staff in developing, implementing, and evaluating department strategic plans, organizational initiatives, performance measures, and improvement projects. Converts identified problems into defined objectives, assigns responsibility, establishes measures of success, monitors implementation, and reports progress.

Data Analysis, and Executive Support

• Coordinates development of analytical products, executive briefings, dashboards, reports, workload analyses, crime and incident analyses, and other decision-support products. Ensures analytical work is translated into understandable operational or executive information. The sergeant is not required to personally perform every technical analytical function but must be capable of evaluating the relevance, limitations, and operational implications of analytical products.

Major Events and Special Operations Support

• Supports Highland division planning for major events and planned special operations by coordinating intelligence, threat assessment, investigative support, analytical products, and related SCOTS capabilities. Ensures relevant information is communicated to planners and commanders in a timely and actionable manner. Coordinates investigative and intelligence functions arising during or following significant events.

University and Interagency Coordination

• Develops and maintains productive working relationships with university administrators, General Counsel, Student Success, Human Resources, mental-health and behavioral-intervention professionals, prosecutors, local/state/federal law-enforcement agencies, intelligence partners, task forces, and other organizations relevant to SCOTS responsibilities.

Executive Briefings and Strategic Communication

• Prepares and delivers concise, accurate, decision-relevant briefings concerning investigations, threats, intelligence, organizational risk, emerging issues, strategic initiatives, and other assigned matters. Clearly distinguishes verified information, analytical judgments, allegations, information gaps, and unresolved questions. Communicates uncertainty without either minimizing legitimate concerns or overstating available evidence.

Policy, Training, and Professional Standards

• Develops or assists with policies, procedures, training, and professional standards within assigned SCOTS subject areas. Identifies training and professional-development needs for assigned personnel and coordinates opportunities to maintain or expand specialized capability.

Special Projects and Assigned Programs

• Leads specialized programs, projects, committees, partnerships, or emerging public-safety initiatives assigned to SCOTS by the chief of police. Program assignments may change as organizational needs, risks, technology, or university priorities evolve.

Critical Incidents

• Performs appropriate supervisory, investigative, intelligence, threat-management, or command-support responsibilities during emergencies and critical incidents. Coordinates effectively with Thistle field command, Highland planned-operations leadership, Emergency Management, university leadership, and outside agencies according to the nature of the incident.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:

• Current Utah POST Law Enforcement Officer certification.
• Substantial professional law-enforcement experience sufficient to perform first-line supervisory responsibilities.
• Demonstrated leadership, supervisory, project-leadership, or comparable experience involving responsibility for people, significant programs, investigations, or complex public-safety operations.
• Demonstrated experience in at least three SCOTs functional areas, such as criminal investigations, intelligence, strategic investigations, strategic planning, data analysis, executive support, major-event intelligence/threat support, or comparable specialized higher education public-safety work.
• Valid driver license and ability to meet applicable university, department, POST, and position requirements.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in psychology, criminology, criminal justice, security management, behavioral science, or multidisciplinary studies.
• Substantive professional experience assessing, managing, monitoring, or reassessing behavioral threats or concerning behavior in a multidisciplinary setting;
• Advanced training or professional development in behavioral threat assessment and management.
• Prior supervisory leadership responsibility for behavioral threat assessment and management, including supervision of threat-management personnel, or accountability for threat-management processes and outcomes.
• Law-enforcement supervisory experience.
• Experience with complex or sensitive criminal investigations and investigative case management.
• Experience with criminal intelligence, protective intelligence, strategic investigations, or open-source research.
• Experience in higher-education public safety or similar complex institutional environment.
• Experience working with prosecutors, mental-health professionals, university administrators, legal counsel, human resources, student-support professionals, or other multidisciplinary partners.
• Experience with strategic planning, program development, project management, data analysis, performance measurement, or organizational improvement.
• Experience preparing executive briefings, analytical products, or decision-support materials.
• Relevant college education, professional certifications, or specialized training related to leadership, investigations, intelligence, threat management, analytics, public administration, or higher-education public safety.

Required Documents

Along with the online application, please attach:

Resume/CV to be uploaded at the beginning of your application in the Candidate Profile under “Resume/CV”

Cover Letter to be typed/pasted at the end of your application

Answer the Following Questions:

• How many years of full-time law enforcement experience do you have, and what supervisory or leadership responsibilities have you held? Include your agency, title, approximate dates, and scope of responsibility. If none, please state “none.”
• Briefly describe your experience with behavioral threat assessment and management. Include your role, work with multidisciplinary partners, and relevant training. This experience is preferred, not required. If you do not have direct experience, describe related experience or preparation, or state “none.”
• Briefly describe your experience with investigations, intelligence, open-source research, or public safety coordination. Include your role and responsibilities, including any university, major-event, or interagency work. You do not need experience in every area. If none, please state “none.”
• Briefly describe your experience with strategic planning, organizational development, data analysis, reporting, training, or specialized initiatives. Include your role and level of responsibility. You do not need experience in every area. If none, please state “none.”
• Describe one complex investigation, public safety issue, or project you led. Explain how you set priorities, handled incomplete or conflicting information, and worked with others. Include a key decision, the outcome, and what you learned. Do not include confidential or unnecessary identifying information. Suggested response length: 250–300 words.

**Document size may not exceed 10 MB.**

Advertised Salary

Commensurate with experience, plus excellent benefits

ADA

The SCOTs Sergeant performs duties in a combination of office, university, investigative, and field environments. Although the position involves substantial supervisory, administrative, investigative, and analytical responsibilities, it remains a sworn law-enforcement position requiring the ability to perform essential police functions when circumstances demand.

Work Environment

Work is performed primarily in professional office and university settings, with regular responsibilities involving investigative activity, campus facilities, meetings, field operations, and coordination with external agencies. Assignments may require travel between university locations, responding to incidents outside normal business hours, attending evening or weekend events, and participating in on-call or emergency response activities. The position may involve exposure to emotionally charged situations, criminal activity, distressed or potentially violent individuals, traumatic incidents, hazardous environments, adverse weather, and other conditions associated with law-enforcement operations.

Physical Demands

The position requires the ability to perform the essential physical functions of a sworn police officer, with or without reasonable accommodation, consistent with applicable law and university policy. These functions may include prolonged sitting, standing, walking, operating a motor vehicle, moving between locations, using computers and communications equipment, handling investigative materials, and performing field duties. When operationally necessary, the employee must be capable of responding to emergencies, navigating varied terrain or facilities, using authorized law-enforcement equipment, and performing physical activities associated with police response, personal protection, and the protection of others.

Mental and Cognitive Demands

The position requires sustained concentration, sound judgment, critical thinking, emotional stability, and the ability to make timely decisions involving complex, sensitive, or incomplete information. The employee must be able to assess threats and risks, distinguish verified facts from assumptions or intelligence assessments, evaluate competing explanations, establish priorities, and adapt decisions as new information becomes available. Responsibilities frequently involve confidential or traumatic information, individuals experiencing significant behavioral or emotional distress, sensitive personnel matters, and potentially high-consequence public-safety decisions. The position also requires the ability to manage competing deadlines, supervise specialized personnel, communicate complex findings to diverse audiences, coordinate multidisciplinary responses, maintain confidentiality, resolve conflict, and exercise discretion under stressful or rapidly changing circumstances. The employee must demonstrate professional composure, resilience, interpersonal sensitivity, and sound ethical judgment while balancing public safety, individual rights, institutional responsibilities, and the welfare of the university community.

The descriptions above identify representative working conditions and demands and are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties or requirements. Reasonable accommodations may be made for qualified individuals in accordance with applicable law and university policy.

College/Department Highlights

Utah State University (USU) is a nationally recognized Carnegie R1 research university and Utah's land-grant institution. With a statewide system of 30 campuses, 33,000 students, Division I athletics, and extensive teaching, research, and public-service activities, USU offers a uniquely dynamic environment for university policing and public safety.

USU's strategic plan is built upon four pillars that guide the university's mission and institutional priorities:

• Utah Statewide Impact: Expanding educational access, strengthening communities, supporting economic mobility, and extending the university's resources and expertise throughout Utah.
• Student Success & Value: Promoting student achievement, degree completion, meaningful educational experiences, and lasting value from a Utah State education.
• Discovery with Purpose: Advancing research, innovation, and practical solutions to complex challenges in fields including science, technology, defense, artificial intelligence, education, and human well-being.
• Civic-Mindedness: Fostering integrity, responsible citizenship, constructive dialogue, public service, and meaningful contributions to society.

The Utah State University Police Department plays an important role in advancing these priorities by providing a safe, supportive environment where students can succeed, research and discovery can flourish, and university communities can thrive. Our mission extends beyond traditional law enforcement to include community partnerships, proactive risk reduction, evidence-based problem-solving, and the protection of people and institutional resources across a complex statewide university system.

The department operates through three complementary divisions: Thistle (Respond & Maintain Readiness), Highland (Prepare & Connect), and SCOTs (Investigate, Analyze & Anticipate). This organizational structure emphasizes specialized expertise, collaboration, innovation, and shared accountability for university safety.

The SCOTs Division directly supports the university's strategic priorities through criminal investigations, criminal and protective intelligence, behavioral threat assessment and management, strategic investigations, data analytics, and specialized public-safety initiatives. Working alongside university stakeholders and local, state, and federal partners, the division identifies emerging risks, develops informed interventions, protects sensitive research and institutional activities, and advances proactive approaches to public safety.

The SCOTs Sergeant provides leadership for specialized sworn and civilian personnel, including supervisory oversight of the department's behavioral threat assessment and management function. This position offers a distinctive opportunity to develop innovative programs, apply investigative and analytical expertise, strengthen multidisciplinary partnerships, and help shape the future of university public safety.

Guided by our six core values of Compassion, Excellence, Integrity, Service, Teamwork, and Trust, that form an overarching mandate to "Take Care of Each Other", the Utah State University Police Department embraces a shared commitment to promoting and fulfilling the strategic mission and objectives of our university. We seek professionals who recognize that effective policing not only protects a university community but also helps advance its mission of learning, discovery, engagement, and service.

University Highlights

As Utah’s student-centered, land-grant research university, Utah State University expands opportunity and strengthens communities across the state through learning, discovery, extension, and engagement. Founded in 1888, USU now holds two Carnegie distinctions: R1 status for very high research activity and the Carnegie Community Engagement Classification. Its innovative research and scholarship is grounded in reciprocal partnerships with local, regional, and global communities, advancing knowledge and serving the public good across Utah, the nation, and the world. With over 50 world-class research facilities and the nation’s second-oldest undergraduate research program, USU prepares students to become active, civically engaged leaders who can address critical societal challenges.

USU enrolls over 29,800 students, both online and in person at locations throughout the state. Utah State’s 30 locations include a main campus in Logan, Utah, residential campuses in Price and Blanding, and six additional statewide campuses, along with education centers serving every county. USU educates students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries. For over 100 years, USU Extension has served and engaged Utahns, serving every county in the state.

Competing at the NCAA Division I level in 16 sports, USU is a proud member of the Pac-12 Conference, which it joined July 1, 2026. The Aggies capped a historic final season in the Mountain West by capturing nine combined regular-season and tournament titles in 2025-26, with five teams advancing to postseason play. This tradition of excellence extends to the classroom, where 232 student-athletes earned academic honors, and to the community, where USU ranked second nationally in Division I service hours, with nine teams placing in the top 10 for community service.

Utah State is dedicated to fostering a community where all individuals feel respected, valued, and supported and where diversity of thought and culture are cultivated. We seek to recruit, hire, and retain people from all walks of life who will champion excellence in education, research, discovery, outreach, and service. We believe that promoting a strong sense of community and belonging empowers and engages all members of USU to thrive and be successful. Forbes recognized our commitment to employees when it named Utah State the best employer in Utah in 2023. Learn more about USU.

The university provides a Dual Career Assistance Program to support careers for partners who are also seeking employment. Additionally, USU is committed to providing access and a reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities. To request a reasonable accommodation for a disability, contact the university’s ADA coordinator in the Office of Human Resources at 435-797-0122 or hr@usu.edu.

*updated 10/26

Notice of Non-discrimination

In its programs and activities, including in admissions and employment, Utah State University does not discriminate or tolerate discrimination, including harassment, based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other status protected by University policy, Title IX, or any other federal, state, or local law.

Utah State University is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate or tolerate discrimination including harassment in employment including in hiring, promotion, transfer, or termination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other status protected by University policy or any other federal, state, or local law.

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The following office has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the application of Title IX and its implementing regulations and/or USU’s non-discrimination policies:

Civil Rights & Title IX Office

Old Main Room 405

1475 Old Main Hill, Logan UT 84322

titleix@usu.edu

(435) 797-1