BATON ROUGE — The LSU Police Department on Wednesday named its interim chief of police as its permanent campus law enforcement head.

Marshall Walters' tenure as LSUPD chief of police, effective June 1, comes after he served more than 21 years in various roles at the department. He was eventually named interim chief to the approximately 60 officers in the department's employ last spring. 

“It has been my privilege to serve the LSU community for the past 21 years, and I will lead LSU’s Police Department with the highest standards of professionalism, integrity, compassion, and transparency in law enforcement. As the parent of a college student myself, I fully understand the responsibility and gravity of this critical role,” Walters said. “I look forward to increasing engagement with students, faculty, staff and the surrounding community to ensure LSU is a safe and welcoming campus," Walters said in a release.

LSUPD has jurisdiction on all LSU property. However, when a crime originates on LSU property, LSUPD’s jurisdiction extends to any area in the state of Louisiana where the investigation may lead, the release explained.

Walters' promotion comes after a national search. WBRZ previously reported on the search, which included Walters and two controversial candidates for the job. Walters was ultimately selected as interim chief.

One of the candidates, Thedrick Andres was formerly the police chief in Henderson, a neighboring community in the Las Vegas area. In 2022, nearly 95 percent of the officers issued a vote of no confidence in him. He was also implicated in a 2014 incident in Texas where he fatally shot a man after he got into a fight with a veteran. Andres was never charged by a grand jury.

Another candidate, Terence Calloway, the police chief of Florida A&M University, was the target of a federal lawsuit that left taxpayers on the hook for $250,0000 after he switched an officer's eight-hour shifts to 12 hours despite that officer having a doctor's note. A jury sided with the officer who alleged race and disability discrimination. FAMU was also ordered to rehire the officer.