NOVA Hires New Police Chief
Assistant Chief William “Jake” Jacoby has been selected to succeed Dan Dusseau, who retired in May 2022, as the department’s new chief of police. Jacoby’s selection followed a rigorous national search with over 50 candidates applying from major urban and rural areas, other colleges and universities, the FBI and other federal law enforcement agencies.
Chief Jacoby has served as the department’s assistant chief since 2012 when he came to NOVA after retiring from the Fairfax County Police Department. While with FCPD, he served in various senior operational roles. He also served as a station commander, supervising approximately 125 officers and numerous civilians. With almost four decades of policing experience in Northern Virginia, Chief Jacoby knows all the major players in the four jurisdictions where NOVA campuses are located. He is also well acquainted with all NOVA police, emergency management and general college operations.
“NOVA Police is one of the country’s premier college police departments. I intend to enhance the culture of safety established by Dan Dusseau,” Jacoby said. “We will continue to emphasize the professional development and approachability of our police force, and our community outreach efforts to keep our operations transparent and to empower NOVA community members with information they need to keep them safe, both on and off campus.”
NOVA welcomes Chief Jacoby to this new role. He can be reached at WJJacoby@nvcc.edu and through the 24/7 NOVA Police dispatch at 703-764-5000.

Submitted by:
John Ferrari, VP of Finance and Administrative Services, JFerrari@nvcc.edu