The administration building was evacuated just after 11 a.m. Friday following a bomb threat made via phone call, MSUPD Capt. Doug Monette confirmed in September of 2019.
Deputy Chief Traci Ruiz of the Michigan State Univerity Police Department, or MSUPD, was placed on administrative leave, MSUPD Inspector Chris Rozman confirmed this afternoon.
"I want to make it clear there is no safety concern to our campus and this is strictly a personnel matter and we do not comment on personnel matters," Rozman wrote in an email.
On Aug. 18, the department announced a change in force and structure to better represent the MSU community's interests under Marlon Lynch, vice president for public safety and chief of police, with approval from MSU President Samuel L. Stanley Jr.
Lynch created the Community Engagement Bureau and the Community Support Bureau with Ruiz in charge. Both bureaus are focused on building relations with the university’s community, including the integration of community engagement officers in residential neighborhoods.
Ruiz is the second high-ranking MSUPD official to be placed on administrative leave in the past four years.
Former MSUPD deputy chief, Valerie O’Brien, was placed on administrative leave on April 3, 2019, and later plead guilty to operating a motor vehicle with a high blood alcohol content and carrying a concealed pistol while under the influence on Aug. 31, 2021.
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