NSU alum named new University Police chief

THIBODAUX — Lt. Alexander Barnes, a Nicholls alum, has been named chief of University Police at Nicholls State University, effective immediately.
The New Orleans native is a 16-year law enforcement veteran and got his start as a campus student officer as a Nicholls student. His career also includes five years with the St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office.
Since 2018, Barnes had served as lieutenant and assistant director for police operations with University Police.
“As a student at Nicholls, this was always a long-term goal of mine,” Barnes said in a news release. “My team and I are excited to engage our students in positive interactions that will develop an open line of communication. Only through understanding, cooperation and partnering with not only our local agencies, but the entire university community, can we continue to do great things. It is important to remember that University Police is part of a larger whole. As part of that whole, we also have a role in the development of our students that goes beyond that of basic law enforcement.”
A committee that included Nicholls faculty, staff and the local law enforcement community oversaw the search to replace Craig Jacuzzo, who joined the university criminal justice faculty this fall after 16 years as University Police chief.
“From the beginning of this process, we have been impressed by Lt. Barnes’ passion for law enforcement, his affection for Nicholls and his vision for the department,” Nicholls Vice President for Finance and Administration Terry Braud said in a news release. “It is my pleasure to welcome him to the role, and I’m confident he will represent this university in the best way.”
Barnes is a member of the Nicholls Hall of Fame and is a former Student Government Association president, Nicholls NAACP president and Mr. Nicholls 2008.