COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- The Ohio State University Police Division announced Dennis Jeffrey as its new chief of police, effective Nov. 1. Jeffrey joined OSUPD in 2022 as a deputy chief following 27 years with the Columbus Division of Police (CPD). He is set to become the division's 12th chief, replacing Kimberly Spears-McNatt, who resigned from the position in August. Jeffrey received his bachelor's degree in political science from OSU and said he is "honored" to serve the university. Your guide to Ohio State's homecoming weekend “My wife and I, and both of our children, have graduated from Ohio State,” Jeffrey said. “I see every Buckeye like I do my own family and understand how policing on a college campus is unique." Associate Vice President of OSU's Department of Public Safety Monica Moll will be relieved from her interim chief position with the new hire. Moll said Jeffrey has supported OSUPD throughout his career as an officer. His last role at CPD was as the commander of the major crimes bureau, in which he managed investigative units working on homicides, felony assaults, burglaries and cold cases. He was also previously the zone 4 patrol commander, which covered the University District surrounding OSU's campus. In 2017, he was named CPD's mental health lieutenant. According to a CPD Facebook post, he first went through crisis intervention training (CIT) in 2003 to better equip himself to respond to calls involving mental illness. In his work with CIT, he helped create the mobile response team, which partners a CIT officer with a social worker to respond jointly to mental health crises. In 2020, he received an award from the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Franklin County for his service, citing Jeffrey's "humongous heart for mental health and addiction."