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Former MSUPD Chief Kelly Roudebush dies after battle with breast cancer

February 11, 2022
<p>The former Michigan State Chief of Police Kelly Roudebush. Photo courtesy of MSU.</p>

The former Michigan State Chief of Police Kelly Roudebush. Photo courtesy of MSU.

On Feb. 11, Michigan State University Police and Public Safety announced former Chief Kelly Roudebush has died after a battle with breast cancer.

“Kelly was committed to the profession and the service not just for our department, but for everyone in law enforcement,” MSU Vice President for Public Safety and Chief of Police Marlon Lynch said in a release. “She inspired so many people with her steadfast courage during this long and difficult fight. Please keep her family and friends in your thoughts during this time.”

Roudebush was MSUPD's first female chief from January 2019 to July 2020. Then, she took medical leave, as a result of her cancer diagnosis.

Roudebush first joined MSUPD as an officer in 1994. She held a Bachelor of Arts degree from Michigan State University and her Master of Public Administration degree from Western Michigan University. 

Other positions Roudebush held included field training officer, canine handler, patrol shift commander, training and special events security coordinator and threat assessment team commander.

"It was my privilege to work with her," MSU President Samuel L. Stanley Jr. said at a Feb. 11 Board of Trustees meeting. “I wanted to send my condolences and those of the entire university to her family, along with our gratitude for her dedicated service.”

Similarly, Trustee Brianna Scott echoed Stanley's sentiment.

“We were talking about her legacy at MSU. ... She just gave so much to this university,” she said. “I just want to extend my condolences, thoughts and prayers to her family.”

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