If you happen to run into Chief Peterson on campus - and he hopes you do! - don’t be surprised if he comes over and introduces himself. Peterson says getting to know students, faculty and staff is one of his top priorities as he settles into his new role as University police chief.

Sean L. Peterson arrives on campus with extensive military and law enforcement experience. To date, he has served more than 30 years in the U.S. Army and Army Reserve, and currently holds the rank of Command Sergeant Major. He’s also a decorated combat veteran with overseas service in Panama, Djibouti, and Afghanistan. Most recently, he served as chief of police in Warsaw, Va., where he led a comprehensive rebuilding and modernization of the police department. Peterson earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Columbia Southern University and is a graduate of the FBI National Academy.

Peterson shared some of his views on campus safety, and how he plans to build strong connections across campus.

What are your priorities as you begin your first year, and how do you hope to involve students, faculty, and staff as partners in campus safety?

I want Christopher Newport University Police to be recognized for excellence in law enforcement and exceptional service to this University. That begins with ensuring our officers, dispatchers, security officers and professional staff have the leadership, training, equipment, technology, and opportunities they need to succeed.

It also means paying serious attention to mental health, physical wellness, and quality of life. Taking care of our team is not lowering the standard; it is how we sustain excellence. When people are healthy, supported and proud of their work, they make better decisions, serve more effectively and are better prepared to meet the expectations placed on them.

Beyond the department, I want us to be visible, accessible and engaged throughout campus. Campus safety works best as a partnership. Students know their residence halls, organizations, and daily experiences. Faculty know their classrooms. Staff know their workspaces and the rhythm of the University. They see, experience and bring perspectives that can make us better.

I want Christopher Newport Police to be confident enough to listen, innovative enough to change when there is a better way, and disciplined enough to maintain the professionalism expected of us. To me, that is what Anchored in Excellence looks like in practice. It is reflected in how we serve, how we treat people, how we develop our employees and how we represent Christopher Newport every day.

If there were one thing (perhaps several things) you would want students to know about campus safety, what would it be?

First, take care of one another. Some of the most important safety decisions students make will never involve a police officer. Check on your friends, have a plan when you go out, and if someone seems overwhelmed, unusually quiet, or simply not themselves, pay attention. Sometimes helping someone starts with noticing that something is not right.

I would also tell students to trust their instincts. If something does not look, feel, or sound right, call us. You are never bothering us. I would rather have one of our officers check 10 things that turn out to be nothing than miss the one thing that mattered.

Then there are the basics: lock your doors, secure your vehicle, pay attention to your surroundings, make good decisions about alcohol, and look out for the people you came with. Those simple choices still matter.

Most importantly, get to know us before you need us. Come talk to our officers, ask questions, and say hello. Our students are the future. They will leave Christopher Newport and become leaders in business, education, government, public service, the military, their communities, and countless other professions. If we can contribute in a meaningful way to helping them learn, grow, lead, and succeed while they are here, then we are doing something worthwhile.

You bring a wide range of experience in public service to the position. What have these experiences taught you about leadership and building teams?

One thing I have learned over a long career is that strong organizations are built on trust, shared purpose, and the people who make up the team. The military taught me discipline, preparation, resilience, and the importance of developing leaders. Law enforcement taught me just as much about judgment, relationships, accountability, and service. Both experiences reinforced that people perform at their best when expectations are clear, standards are high and they know their leaders genuinely care about them.

I believe excellence and taking care of our people belong in the same sentence. That means training and professional development, but it also includes mental health, physical wellness, family, morale, and quality of life. Public safety is demanding work, and if we expect our officers, dispatchers, security officers, and professional staff to perform at a high level, we have a responsibility to invest in them as people, not merely as employees.

My responsibility as chief is to create an environment where people are challenged to grow, supported when needed, proud of their work, and prepared to lead. Leadership should never end with the person currently holding the title. We should always develop the next generation of leaders, both within our department and across the University community.

Christopher Newport is its own unique campus community but also sits within a larger city. What is your approach in working with local responders and the wider community?

I have always believed you build relationships before you need them. Christopher Newport has its own identity and campus community, but we are also part of Newport News, Hampton Roads, and the Commonwealth. We are fortunate to have outstanding law enforcement, fire, EMS, emergency management, and public safety partners throughout the region.

My approach is straightforward: know one another, train together, communicate often, understand each other's capabilities, and build trust. I have spent much of my career in environments where diverse people and organizations had to come together quickly and perform as one. In those moments, relationships, preparation, and professionalism make the difference.

I want our regional partners to know Christopher Newport Police, know our people, understand our campus, and know they have a dependable partner here. Strong partnerships make all of us better and, ultimately, make the communities we serve safer.

What do you like to do when you’re off duty?

Family and staying active are important to me. I spend a lot of time focused on fitness, and whenever I get the chance, I enjoy being on the water and doing pretty much anything involving water sports. I’m also perfectly happy slowing things down with a good movie.

And then there are Coco and Bear, our two Labs. Coco is a chocolate Lab, and Bear is a black Lab. They definitely keep life entertaining and are a big part of our family.

What music or podcast is playing in your car?

It can be all over the place. Sometimes it is leadership, military, policing, or current events content. I enjoy listening to people who challenge the way I think because I believe leaders stop growing when they only listen to people who already agree with them. Other days, I just want something loud with a little energy.

Favorite quote?

LEAD. FIGHT. WIN.

Those three words have been central to my leadership philosophy for a long time. Lead means setting an example, taking responsibility, developing others, and preparing the next generation of leaders. Fight means standing up for your people, your values, and what you believe is right, while also having the courage to challenge the way things have always been done when a better way exists.

Win does not mean someone else has to lose. Winning in leadership means leaving people stronger, teams better, and organizations more capable than they were when you arrived. That is the standard I try to live by, and at Christopher Newport, I think it aligns naturally with a standard already deeply rooted here: Anchored in Excellence.