At right: Oweis being sworn in as Chief of Police while his children take part.

SANTA CRUZ, CA — Nader Oweis was sworn in as the University of California-Santa Cruz Chief of Police on Tuesday, August 9, taking the oath to protect members of the campus.  

Oweis, a Palestinian American, previously served at UC-Davis’ campus for 17 years and was promoted to sergeant in 1999 and lieutenant in 2005. He has also worked as a liaison between law enforcement and the Arab American community, providing training for the State of California Commission on Peace Officers Standards and Training. 

“I am excited about being part of such a world-class organization,” Oweis said. 

“It is a great opportunity and I hope to build upon an already strong community policing foundation to better serve the community.”

Oweis helped educate officers for understanding Arab, Muslim and Sikh cultures in partnership with the U.S. Department of Justice Community Relations Service. He has also been a member of the FBI Sacramento Office’s Joint Terrorism Task Force.  

In 2006, he received the UC-Davis Police Department’s Distinguished Service Medal and the campus’s Calvin E. Handy Leadership Award, named after the police chief emeritus. 

Oweis received his undergraduate degree in Managerial Economics from UC-Davis, and a Master of Science in Higher Education in 2010 from Drexel University.