Clayton Staton has been named the director of public safety at Canisius University. Staton will be responsible for providing a safe and secure environment for all Canisius students, faculty, staff and visitors to the campus. He will enforce federal, state and local laws, as well as Canisius’ rules and regulations, and will work to ensure that the Public Safety Department plays a critical role in the university’s emergency preparedness and response, including organizing safety training for the campus.
“Clayton joins Canisius with 33 years of law enforcement experience; he will undoubtedly be an asset to our campus community,” said Harold O. Fields, EdD, vice president for student affairs and dean of students. “His diverse background includes a commitment to service, extensive law enforcement experience, expertise in crisis preparedness, as well as campus safety and security. These experiences make him an ideal candidate for the position.”
Staton is a State of New Jersey certified Security Officer Registration Act (SORA) instructor and private security consultant. In the position, Staton is responsible for instructing security officer candidate courses including national incident management system (NIMS), incident command system (ICS), the role of the security officer, use of force, ethics, active shooter, bomb threat management, suspicious activity reporting and homeland security.
He served as director of campus safety and security for the University of Tulsa, where he was responsible for the security of three campuses. As SUNY Maritime College regimental duty officer/headquarters battalion officer, Staton supervised the headquarters battalion, which included 220 cadets. He served as a New Jersey state trooper/detective from January 1993 - February 2016, supervising detective sergeants in internal affairs, managing sergeants during security details and coordinating security terrorism threat assessment for all public and private educational institutions in Bergen and Passaic Counties after the 911 terrorist attack. Staton served in the United States Navy, Navy Reserve and Army Reserve, from June 1983 – June 1993, and received the National Defense Medal.
Staton is the recipient of numerous awards and recognitions including the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executive Civic Award, African American Law Enforcement Association Appreciation Award, and State of New Jersey Governors Volunteerism Award and Public Safety Certificate of Appreciation. He founded The Cadet Corps (TCC) in 1996, an independent, non-profit youth mentoring corporation, and serves as its manager.
Staton earned a bachelor of arts degree in criminal justice from Saint Peters College and a master’s degree in criminal justice from Boston University.
Canisius was founded in 1870 in Buffalo, NY, and is one of 27 Jesuit colleges and universities in the U.S. Consistently ranked among the top institutions in the Northeast, Canisius offers undergraduate, graduate and pre-professional programs distinguished by close student-faculty collaboration, mentoring and an emphasis on ethical, purpose-driven leadership.
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