The Daily Bulletin Archive

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Stephen Mayoral as Buffalo State College’s next chief of university police. Mr. Mayoral, who will officially join the Buffalo State community on July 21, has more than 22 years of experience in law enforcement and currently serves as a lieutenant in the Los Angeles School Police Department in Los Angeles, California.

I thank the members of the search committee and co-chairs Amitra Wall and Donna Scuto for their outstanding service to Buffalo State in conducting this search.

Please join me in thanking Amy Pedlow for her dedicated leadership of the University Police Department (UPD) over the past nine months while she served as interim chief of police. Interim Chief Pedlow has maintained seamless operation of UPD during a challenging time and has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to the department and to the college.

Please also join me in recognizing Stephen Cahoon, interim assistant chief, for his dedication to Buffalo State and his willingness to assume additional responsibilities during this interim period.

About Stephen Mayoral
Stephen Mayoral, who will be Buffalo State’s first Hispanic chief of university police, is a 1995 graduate of the University of Southern California (USC) and received a master of business administration from Trident University in 2015. He completed graduate-level specialized advanced training at the United States Army Command and General Staff College in 2012. Mr. Mayoral holds the rank of major (retired) in the United States Army, where he served for 25 years.

Mr. Mayoral was a sergeant in the Los Angeles School Police Department—one of the largest school police departments in the United States—from 2010 to 2015 before being promoted to lieutenant. He was deputy chief from 2020 to 2021, serving as acting chief of police in the absence of the chief. Mr. Mayoral has supervised the department’s administrative services bureau and its 50 employees, including sworn police officers, detectives, sergeants, lieutenants, and civilian staff members.

He has been responsible for long-range planning for the department and functions as a liaison with local and national law enforcement agencies, addressing school safety and modern law enforcement management.

Mr. Mayoral served in Operation Desert Shield in Iraq in 1991 and was awarded the Bronze Star for his leadership as a United States Army Infantry company commander during combat operations in Iraq in 2004. He has received two law enforcement commendations from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, recognizing his management of a homicide investigation and his leadership of a successful prototype multi-agency task force. During his tenure at the Los Angeles School Police Department, he was recognized as Sergeant of the Year.

Mr. Mayoral has taught on a variety of law enforcement topics at California State University, Dominguez Hills, and in the University of Southern California Public Safety Leadership Program. He is a volunteer with the USC Alumni Veterans Network and the USC Latino Alumni Association. Mr. Mayoral is a member of the Hispanic American Police Command Officers Association and the National Association of School Resource Officers.

“I am excited to have Stephen Mayoral join us as the new chief of university police,” said Buffalo State President Katherine Conway-Turner. “His tremendous experience and expertise, and his significant command of urban educational issues and emergency planning, will bring great leadership to our campus.”

Please join me in extending a warm welcome to Stephen Mayoral as he joins the Buffalo State College community.