Oath of Office
Robles first Latina to be named HCC police chief
Law enforcement officials, elected officials, and members of the Holyoke Community College Community will gather on Monday, May 5, to celebrate the swearing-in of Jacqueline Robles, of Springfield, as the next HCC chief of police.
The oath-of-office ceremony, the first-ever for the college, will begin at 10:30 a.m. in the Leslie Phillips Theater, on the second floor of the HCC Fine & Performing Arts Building.
Sergeant Robles, who was born in Puerto Rico, raised in Springfield, and graduated from Holyoke High School, has been a member of the HCC police department for 22 years. On Monday, she will become the first Latina to serve as HCC police chief.
“It’s such an honor, such a happy moment,” said Robles. “I’m very proud. I’m proud of my heritage. I’m proud of my roots. I’m just happy to be here, and I look forward to making positive changes and integrating the college more with the community.”
Robles, a graduate of Springfield Technical Community College, comes from a family of police officers, following three brothers and a sister into law enforcement. More than 30 of her family members are expected to attend Monday’s ceremony, along with police chiefs from many Massachusetts community colleges, chiefs from Holyoke, Amherst, and South Hadley, Holyoke Mayor Joshua Garcia, state Sen. Adam Gomez, state Reps. Carlos Gonzalez and Orlando Ramos.
The ceremony will be followed by a reception for Robles in the HCC Learning Collaborative on the second floor for the Frost Building.
As police chief, Robles will also hold the title of executive director of community safety, which coincides with the department’s new focus on community policing. Previously part of the college’s division of Administration and Finance, HCC Campus Police now falls under the auspices of the newly created division of People, Culture, and Equity.
“In this department, we deal with people, so it makes sense,” said Robles. “Day to day, we deal with a lot of the same people, the same faces – students, staff. I try to make whatever I do a learning experience, whenever possible. Of course, it should be more of a community-based policing model, because this is where we live, and these are the people we’re supposed to serve.”
After graduating from STCC with her associate degree in criminal justice, Robles began her career in public safety as a security officer at Smith College. She joined HCC in 2002 as a patrol officer. In 2016, she was promoted to sergeant, supervising police officers, parking lot attendants, and dispatchers. She was instrumental in creating a cadet program for HCC students majoring in criminal justice.
“Through her leadership, I believe Chief Robles will further strengthen the college’s new commitment to community policing, creating an atmosphere where students, employees, guests, and friends of the college feel supported and secure,” said Marlowe Washington, vice president of People, Culture, and Equity.
Robles, who has lived in Holyoke, Chicopee, and now again in Springfield, has four children, three boys and a girl, 27, 24, 18, and 13. Her oldest son is a court officer in Worcester.
“I’m so proud of him for that,” she said.
Robles succeeds Scott Livingstone, the retired police chief from Amherst, who has been serving as interim police chief at HCC since October 2024.
PHOTO: Jacqueline Robles
