An interview with Dawn Smallwood, Stony Brook University Chief of Police

Raised by strong women with long careers in professional healthcare, Dawn Smallwood seemed destined to become a doctor. She even went to college to study biology. But fate had other ideas. In January, the veteran law-enforcement officer – after decades in the service of the FBI, the NCIS and CUNY Public Safety – became chief of the Stony Brook University Police Department, the first woman to fill the role. As SBU’s top cop, she commands a 190-member department that serves and protects 26,000 students, staffers and visitors every single day, from dormitories to university stadiums to hospital ERs. In today’s episode, the chief joins spark host Gregory Zeller to discuss the immense responsibilities of her pressure-packed job, her adventures as a Greater New York federal agent and her biggest challenges of all: raising two daughters to believe they can accomplish anything, and finding time for a good true-crime podcast.