Charles GreenThe N.C. Central University police department entered a new era after interim police chief Robert E. Gaddy was named NCCU chief of police effective March 1, 2026. The decision came after former Chief of Police Damon Williams stepped down in December 2025.
Before being named interim chief of police, Gaddy led the NCCU Patrol Division for four years and is currently enrolled as a master’s student studying criminology at the university.
He previously earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from NCCU in 1993. Gaddy also served for 27 years in the Durham Police Department while taking on several leadership roles including Special Operations Criminal Investigations and the Selective Enforcement Team before retiring in 2022.
But Gaddy felt like he had more left in the tank, and after a month-long retirement, he joined the NCCU police department in July of that year.
“The older I get, the more I live, I realize that God has a plan for you,” Gaddy said.
When it became time for Gaddy to step into the interim chief role, he noted that the transition was very smooth.
“A lot of people that were standing on eggshells, like oh my gosh what’s going to happen,” he said. “Oh, it’s Gaddy, oh we’re good.”
Gaddy described feeling excitement and nervousness after being named the permanent Chief of Police.
It was a title that Gaddy had been wanting for a while, as he applied for multiple chief positions at other schools before landing at NCCU.
“There’s a little bit of nervousness and anticipation,” he said.
“When Chief Williams announced he was leaving, I had the mindset, that’s mine. All the things I went through to get here, this is why I’m here, my purpose.”
One of Gaddy’s goals is to continue to be a familiar face on campus, much like the previous Chief and to build on the foundation left by former Chief Williams.
“If we had 9000 students, he [Chief Williams] knew 8500. My goal is to know 8600.”
He wants the students to know that they have his attention.
After being called out on the anonymous social media app Fizz, Gaddy acknowledged the criticism of not being seen on campus by students and wants to be held accountable.
“I made the students a promise that I was going to be just as visible as Damon, and I want everybody to hold me accountable for that because I’m going to hold myself accountable to that,” he said.
Gaddy wants to be approachable and transparent in his new role.
He has an open-door policy with everyone on campus and he’s always willing to help.
“The only thing that changed in the NCCU Police Department was the body, but the philosophy is still the same.”
