Community Engagement Officer

Profile photo of Officer Nicholas Akingbemi smiling for the camera

Officer Nicholas Akingbemi currently serves as the UCI Police Department’s Community Engagement Officer where it's his goal to establish a cordial communication line between you and our team. Think of him as your friendly go-to intermediary for our department. With a B.A. in Criminal Justice and a Master's Degree in Public Administration, Officer Akingbemi has accumulated over five years of policing experience through serving both the UCI main campus and UCI Medical Center where he heartily promoted safety and community engagement efforts. 

As the Community Engagement Officer, he will continue to bolster our popular community events such as Coffee with a Cop, Community Police Academy, and Behind the Badge. To keep things exciting, he will also strive to develop new programs aimed to give you more opportunities to interact with our officers in a positive, non-enforcement setting.

How It All Began

While serving as a Hall Coordinator during his undergraduate years, Officer Akingbemi became interested in campus policing as he observed a divide between the student body and campus police. This observation, along with his passion for education and desire to pursue a career in the criminal justice system, marked his decision to become a peace officer. He attributes his clear aspirational resolve by reflecting on his favorite Mahatma Gandhi quote, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.”

When asked why he believes the Community Engagement Officer is an important position, Officer Akingbemi replied, “It’s important that we, as peace officers, continue to be more community-oriented in all of our functions. This position is a step in the right direction, especially at UCI. At UCIPD our model is to prevent, intervene, and educate before any enforcement action is taken. Remaining community-oriented helps strengthen trust with our students, faculty, and staff, and also aids in being an example for others to model after.”

In his spare time outside of the UCI community, Officer Akingbemi actively partners with other public servants to provide scholarships to students in the Inland Empire.

Whether you see him around campus or at the medical center, say 'Hello' and introduce yourself!

Officer Akingbemi holding up donuts and smiling

Officer Akingbemi cooking hot dogs and burgers at Palo Verde Movie Night