In the aftermath of the 2020 anti-police protests, Long Beach State Police Chief John Brockie was sworn in, hoping to strengthen relationships between law enforcement and the campus community. 

In his four years as police chief, Brockie has been the catalyst for multiple community-oriented initiatives, including launching a mobile mental health team, creating a community engagement center and hosting events promoting education and accessibility between students and police.

Now, though he’s set to retire on Dec. 30, Brockie said he has interesting endeavors lined up after retirement.

Brockie’s 28-year police career began in 1998 at Cal State Fullerton. By 2019, he had been promoted to captain before transferring to CSULB, where he maintained his rank. Less than three years later, he succeeded former Police Chief Fernando Solorzano in 2021.

However, before he turns in his badge, Brockie has one more project in the works — a training program to prepare newly hired officers for campus policing across the CSU and UC system.

“[Police officers] are required to go to the same police academy and all of the same classes, and there is a requirement by law that community college and K-12 officers have to go through an additional program,” Brockie said. “[I was] looking at the program, and was thinking, why doesn’t CSU or UC police have their own program?” 

Brockie said this training program is important because many officers who come out of the police academy, which focuses on metropolitan policing, often feel on edge or even combative. Brockie said this program would ease officers into university policing and teach them valuable skills related to the campus force.

Despite the program being in its early stages and without a name, Brockie said he has a clear vision for what it will entail. The program would include a one or two-week course for new hires fresh out of the police academy, covering university-specific topics including university structure, First Amendment speech, crowd control and sexual assault. 

Brockie also wants to include professors and other university professionals to discuss mental health and student life. His goal is to get the program certified by the California Peace Officers Standards and Training so the course can be reimbursable. The University Police Department would cover the cost of officers’ course attendance, and then POST would reimburse the department.

“I see the first phase as the initial rollout, where the program will go to campuses,” Brockie said. “And then once it’s established, then we would have two, three sessions a year, probably at the same location, so that the [officers in the program] are coming to that location.”

Brockie hopes to have a draft of the program ready by early December, in time for the annual meeting of CSU and UC police chiefs. Still, after retirement, he plans to see this program to completion, whether he’s “on the payroll or not.”
“I try to finish things that I start, especially when I’m the one who pitched the whole program and got other people involved,” Brockie said. “I’m committed at this point.”

Though Brockie is working on his last project, those working alongside him said he’s influenced the department most through his community-oriented projects, diversity efforts and education.

Brockie’s achievements at The Beach

CSULB Chief Financial Officer Scott Apel cited the Campus Assessment and Stabilization Team program as one of the most notable achievements of the police department under Brockie’s leadership.

The program was initially designed in 2020 but lacked funding, so Brockie partnered with Student Health Services to secure a $400,00 grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and CAST launched in mid-2022.

“President Conoley and I had talked about a CAST-like program many years ago, and it didn’t happen because of a variety of factors, but one of them was financial,” Apel said. “[Brockie] and his partners in the Division of Student Affairs went out and got a grant, and that really helped us with startup money.”

Last spring, CAST responded to 194 service episodes.

The collaboration and success of CAST and the police department earned them the 2025 President’s Award for Team Achievement, which Brockie proudly displays in the team meeting room. 

The President’s Team Achievement Award was presented to the University Police Department for the CAST program. The award is displayed in the conference room of the police department. Nikoletta Anagnostou | Long Beach Current

When Brockie first took over hiring while a captain in January 2020, the department was only 12% female.

As of September 2025, the department reached its goal of a 30% female force under the 30×30 initiative.

Additionally, Brockie publicly displays the department’s gender and racial demographics on their website – a transparency measure that neighboring schools CSUF, CSUDH and CSULA don’t have.

“I think [Brockie’s] been a great chief,” Apel said. “We were working towards making the police force more diverse, both in gender and in ethnicity, and John really moved those efforts forward and has made our police force very diverse.”

Officer Corina Washington, head of the Community Safety Officer Program at CSULB, noted that one of Brockie’s most significant impacts was on education and accessibility. 

Beyond delivering safety presentations, Brockie has continued police department events like “Coffee with a Cop” and has partnered with Beach XP to improve communication and education among students.

Apel, who also serves as the police department’s appointing authority, did not disclose whether a successor has been selected, but emphasized that a key reason for hiring Brockie was his extensive university policing experience — something Apel and the university are seeking in the next police chief. 

“Law enforcement on a college campus is a much different proposition than, say, metropolitan law enforcement,” Apel said. “We generally shy away from LAPD-type experience because it’s such a different kind of thing. Our police force is supposed to help our students first and then do everything else kind of second.”

After retirement, Brockie plans to keep working. He owns Higher Ed Investigations & Consulting, a small consulting company focused on Title IX investigations and Clery Act compliance for higher education institutions, which he plans to expand after retirement.

Additionally, for the past two semesters, Brockie has taught risk management classes at CSULB. Although he’s legally required to take time off from teaching after retirement, he is interested in returning. 

Beyond that, he looks forward to spending time with his wife, children, parents and his 16-month-old chocolate Labrador.

“[I want to] travel more with my family,” Brockie said. “I have many classic car projects to do, and then I’m blessed to still have both my parents. So, spend more time with them.”