Keri Kei Shibata

Assistant Vice President for Campus Safety and Notre Dame Police Chief Keri Kei Shibata comes by her career – somewhat – naturally. Raised in Harbor Springs, Michigan, in the northern reaches of the state’s “mitten,” she is the daughter of a Michigan State Police officer and an elementary school teacher. She had no interest in following in either parent’s footsteps. She ended up following in both.

Appointed chief in 2016, Chief Shibata is a 20-year veteran of the NDPD who worked her way up through the ranks. She joined the department in 2004 after previously working as a residence hall director and teaching students on academic probation at her undergraduate alma mater, Bethel University in Mishawaka, Indiana. She also worked in campus security as a student at Bethel and served in a similar role in her first position at Notre Dame.

Chief Shibata joined the officer ranks of NDPD in 2005, the same year she graduated from the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy as a sworn officer. She also is a graduate of the Police Executive Research Forum’s Senior Management Institute for Police.  

Immediately prior to her current appointment, Chief Shibata served as deputy chief for safety services. She previously was responsible for the University’s 911 dispatch center, crime prevention and outreach, security and guest services, Clery Act reporting, and training for NDPD personnel and campus safety officers, including security support for all residence halls.
 
Chief Shibata oversees a department composed of 34 sworn officers and 35 campus safety and parking personnel and support staff. NDPD units include police patrol, investigations, crime prevention and outreach, security and guest services, training, special events and dignitary protection, parking services, and emergency management, as well as the communications center (dispatch). 

As Assistant Vice President for Campus Safety, Chief Shibata has oversight of numerous strategic initiatives within Campus Safety.

As director of emergency management, Chief Shibata is responsible for overseeing the strategic planning, implementation, and management of the University’s overall response to emergencies on campus.

Chief Shibata serves on the Board of the Family Justice Center of St. Joseph County where she has volunteered since 2002, working with victims of sexual assault and domestic violence. She also represents the University on the board of the Center for the Homeless in South Bend and has served on numerous University task forces and committees, including the Committee on Sexual Assault Prevention.

In addition to her bachelor’s degree from Bethel, Chief Shibata is a 2016 graduate of Notre Dame’s Executive MBA Program. Her husband, David, is also a law enforcement officer, a sergeant in the South Bend Police Department.