July 20, 2020: MSU Police Department leadership transition

---

Colleagues, 

MSU Police Department Chief Kelly Roudebush recently informed me she will be going on medical leave effective July 21. As you may be aware, and as she has openly shared, she was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer in July 2019. 

Kelly joined the MSU Police Department as an officer in 1994. Prior to becoming the fifth chief and the first woman to head the department, she served as Deputy Chief of the Field Services Bureau directing the daily activities of the Uniform, Field Support and Administrative Services divisions. She previously served as a field training officer, canine handler, patrol shift commander, training and special events security coordinator, and as a threat assessment team commander.

She has been the police chief since January 2019, and I appreciate the work she has done over the past year since I arrived at Michigan State University.

During her absence, I am appointing Assistant Chief Doug Monette as interim chief. He will remain in this role while we conduct a national search for the next chief of our police department. Doug joined MSU in 1996 after serving in the East Lansing Police Department for nearly 10 years. He has held multiple roles including being responsible for media relations, internal affairs and recruiting as well as working as a detective on task forces for cold cases, major crimes and homicides. Doug was also a member of the team that established implicit bias training for all members of the department. 

More information will be provided in the coming weeks on the search for the sixth MSU chief of police.  

Please join me in wishing Kelly a healthy recovery. 

Sincerely,

Samuel L. Stanley Jr., M.D.
President