ASU Police Department promotes Chris Speranza to commander

The ASU Police Department recently promoted Chris Speranza to commander. He will serve as commander at the Downtown Phoenix campus.

In his new assignment, Speranza joins the ranks of five commanders who serve the department. He joined the university police force in 1999 as a police officer. 

“Chris has been an integral part of our operation since he joined the department,” said John Pickens, Chief of Police at the ASU Police Department. “This promotion recognizes his dedication and excellent work for the organization.”  

Speranza saved the life of an ASU student involved in an automobile fire in 2000. For this action, he was awarded the department’s Medal of Valor.

During his career at ASU, Speranza served in varying capacities from a field training officer in 2001 where he took on the responsibility of training new officers after they graduated from the police academy to his promotion to police officer senior in 2004, acting as a shift supervisor in the absence of a sergeant.

He was promoted to sergeant in 2006 and was given the responsibility of supervising a patrol shift. In 2007, he transferred to the Criminal Investigations Bureau where he has been instrumental in creating the department’s Canine program, the Drug Take Back program and the Crime Analysis program.  In 2009 and 2010, he acted as interim commander assigned to the West Campus.

He has numerous certifications and advanced training and is a member of the ASU Behavior Response Team, the Student Assistance Coordination Committee, the Arizona Threat Assessment Professionals and Arizona Homicide Investigators Association.