International police group elects Pickens to post

<!-- InstanceBeginEditable name="storyContent" --> <p><img src="http://asu.edu/news/stories/200612/200612_images/20061213_pickens.jpg&q…; alt="John Pickens" hspace="5" vspace="5" width="216" height="299" align="right">ASU's chief of police, John Pickens, juggles a heavier workload these days since being elected vice general chair of the University and College Section of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP).</p><separator></separator><p>Fellow IACP members approached Chief Pickens about becoming a candidate for the position during a mid-year meeting in June. He was nominated following a review by the nominating committee, and elected through a secret ballot vote by the section's members in October.</p><separator></separator><p>Pickens' new role includes assisting, advising and consulting with the general chair of IACP, supervising and advising regional chairs and preparing necessary arrangements for the mid-year meeting of the section. During the annual meeting, he will take over the duties as general chair of the University and College Section. Pickens will serve as vice general chair until the next IACP meeting in October 2007.</p><separator></separator><p>“I am looking forward to the challenges of handling both positions simultaneously,” says Pickens on his roles as chief of police for ASU and vice general chair for IACP. “It is rewarding to serve in a capacity and provide leadership to further the law enforcement profession. I will be a busier man, but I am up to the challenge.”</p><separator></separator><p>The election of Pickens to this honorable role within IACP is no surprise to Paul Ward, ASU's vice president of administration and Pickens' supervisor.</p><separator></separator><p>“IACP's selection of John Pickens for this position is significant because it is recognition of him as a national leader in law enforcement,” Ward says, adding that Pickens' honor comes at a time when there is a growing need, particularly in Arizona, to recruit and train qualified police professionals.</p><separator></separator><p>IACP is the world's oldest and largest nonprofit membership organization of police executives, with more than 20,000 members in nearly 89 different countries.</p><separator></separator><div id="contactInfo"> <p class="contactPhoneNumber"><a href="mailto:kristina.weder@asu.edu">Kristina Weder</a>, kristina.weder@asu.edu<br>(480) 727-8191</p><separator></separator></div><p>&nbsp;</p>