CWU Police Department remains in capable hands following change at the top

The Central Washington University Police Department has a new big man on campus, but the old BMOC isn’t going far.

Longtime CWUPD Assistant Chief Eric Twaites assumed the role of Interim Chief on July 1, while former Chief Jason Berthon-Koch has moved into an executive director position with the College of Education and Professional Studies (CEPS).

Twaites and Berthon-Koch have worked alongside one another at CWUPD for more than 25 years, starting out as entry-level officers and rising through the ranks together before being elevated to the department’s top two leadership positions in 2018.

And while the name on the chief’s door may have changed earlier this month, it’s business as usual for the department and its employees.

“It’s not really a new role for me, other than the title,” Twaites said. “I have served as acting chief a couple of times — including the past three months — and I’m not looking to make any big changes. We’ve got a great team here, and we’re just going to build upon the momentum we have already created.”

Twaites said he is happy to serve in an interim capacity for as long as CWU administration needs him to, but he believes his two-plus decades of experience at CWUPD would be difficult to replace with an outside candidate.

“I would like to remain in the role, but whatever direction we choose to go in, I’m all in,” he said. “The feedback and support I have gotten from the department and across the university over the past three months has been fantastic, and I feel like everyone is standing behind me.”

That includes Berthon-Koch, who started with the CWU Police Department about six months before Twaites. As the years passed, they became sergeants, lieutenants, and captains together, relying on one another for personal and professional support.

“I was hoping Jason and I would ride off into the sunset together,” said Twaites, a 1999 CWU Law and Justice graduate. “It has been a storybook career working alongside a good friend like him, but I knew he was looking to do something else, and I’m glad to see he was able to find a new opportunity without having to leave CWU.”

Berthon-Koch has been serving in an interim role with CEPS since May and recently was hired full time as the Executive Director of Strategic Operations. In his new position, he will be focused on helping the Department of Aviation move into the future.

“My job is to find efficiencies and create even more opportunities for student success,” he said. “Aviation is one of our premier programs, and my goal is to make it the best it can possibly be.”

CWU Aviation has an entirely new leadership team as it prepares for the 2025-26 academic year, with a new chief pilot and two new assistant chiefs. Berthon-Koch has been working with them to align the program’s procedures with the employee handbook and syllabus.

As the department begins a new phase, he is stressing the value of “continuous improvement.”

“We’re going to be more successful if everything is aligned and everyone is on the same page,” he said. “We’ve taken a lot of positive steps and I’m really enjoying the work so far. Plus, I get to stay here at CWU, a place I love.”

Like Twaites, Berthon-Koch has spent nearly his entire career at Central. He became a CWUPD officer in 1999 and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in Law and Justice in 2007. He completed his Information Technology Management master’s degree at CWU in 2021 and is poised to finish a graduate certificate in Cybersecurity next spring.

“Anytime you can get a degree, it’s only going to help you,” he said. “I started college later than most, but I always knew a degree would open the door for me to keep moving up in my career. Now, I’m only two classes short of a graduate certificate.”

Berthon-Koch is excited to begin a new chapter in his career, but he will always be grateful to his colleagues and friends at CWU and around Kittitas County for making the past 26 years so memorable.

“I thank the department for their unwavering support, dedication, and contribution to keeping our community safe,” he said in a recent social media post. “Every interaction, every challenge, and every success has left an indelible mark on my heart, and I will treasure these moments forever.”

A semi-retirement party for Berthon-Koch is planned for Saturday, August 2, at Iron Horse Brewing from 6-9 p.m.