North Columbus News

The Ohio State University Police Division (OSUPD) has announced the promotion of Alan Horujko to deputy chief, effective February 10, 2025. Horujko will join fellow deputy chief Eric Whiteside and report directly to Chief Dennis Jeffrey.

Horujko's career with OSUPD began in 2015. Over the past decade, he has served the campus community, most recently as a lieutenant. Before joining OSUPD, he worked as a police officer for Ohio Health.

"We had a strong group of candidates and are excited for Alan to step into the role of Deputy Chief," Jeffrey stated. "Over the past five years as a lieutenant, Alan has gained valuable management experience and has taken the lead on initiatives related to special event incident command, critical thinking and decision making under stress. He has built relationships across campus and will help our agency continue to build and maintain trust with our community."

Originally from Fairfield, Ohio, Horujko moved to Columbus for his education at Ohio State University. It was there that he met his wife Jacqueline during his freshman year. Both are graduates of Ohio State and now work for the university; Jacqueline is employed as a nurse anesthetist at Wexner Medical Center. The couple has one son.

"The safety of our university community is very important to me, and I am honored to help lead our agency in protecting and serving all Buckeyes," Horujko said. "I look forward to supporting Chief Jeffrey’s vision and upholding our five core values of integrity, diversity, innovation, service and respect."

In 2016, Horujko was recognized for his actions during an incident classified as a terrorist-inspired attack. His efforts that day earned him an invitation to the White House where he received the 2019 United States Congressional Medal of Valor.

Horujko serves as an instructor at OSUPD on various subjects including incident command and active shooter response. He also teaches empowerment and self-defense, medical first aid, CPR and trauma care, along with leadership courses through the Supervisor Training and Education Program (STEP) for Ohio’s Law Enforcement Foundation. His contributions have been acknowledged by multiple agencies nationwide due to his work in critical incident response management with an emphasis on officer wellness.

Additionally involved in community outreach initiatives throughout his tenure at Ohio State University, Horujko assisted in raising funds for military families as well as Special Olympics participants—earning him recognition such as being named OSUPD’s supervisor of the year in 2022.

Horujko holds a bachelor’s degree in security intelligence from Ohio State University while pursuing further education including both graduate certification in public management plus master's studies focusing on public administration leadership via John Glenn College Public Affairs located within same institution.