COCC Hires New Director of Campus Safety and Emergency Management
March 13, 2023
Central Oregon Community College (COCC) has hired Cory Darling as director of campus
safety and emergency management. Darling brings a 35-year career in Central Oregon
law enforcement with a focus on training, crisis intervention, emergency preparedness
and community partnerships to the role. Most recently, he served as the chief of the
Sunriver Police Department from 2018 until his retirement in 2022.
“I am pleased to announce Mr. Darling’s hire for this absolutely essential role,”
said Dr. Laurie Chesley, COCC’s president. “He joins the college with a wealth of
experience and resounding professional endorsements from our key partners across local
law enforcement, behavioral health and social service agencies. Mr. Darling will ensure
that COCC’s relationships with law enforcement continue to be well delineated, collaborative
and subordinate. He will also help us continue to move our campus safety department
forward, maintaining safe and secure campuses for students, employees and community
members.”
Darling was born and raised in a small farming community in southern Idaho. He moved
to Bend in 1984 and began his law enforcement career in 1988. He holds an Associate
of Applied Science from COCC in Apprenticeship in Law Enforcement, a Bachelor of Arts
in criminal justice from American Military University, and is a graduate of the FBI
National Academy Class 237. He served on the Central Oregon Emergency Response Team
(SWAT) for 16 years and the Central Oregon Drug Enforcement Team (CODE) for five years.
Cory is currently on the board of directors for KIDS Center, is the state vice president
for the Oregon Fallen Badge Foundation and is a board member for the Oregon Association
of Chiefs of Police.
“Since my family first moved to Central Oregon, COCC has always been the iconic institution
of higher education in our community,” said Darling. “The college serves an important
purpose for our local workforce, employers and community partners. I am looking forward
to helping ensure that COCC is safe for everyone who comes to learn, teach, work and
enjoy everything the college has to offer.”
Darling has held several positions as a law enforcement training instructor. He also
holds past positions as president of the Oregon Tactical Officers Association (OTOA),
vice president of the Oregon Narcotics Enforcement Association (ONEA), Central Oregon
Police Chaplaincy board member, Oregon Association Chiefs of Police (OACP) liaison
for the Oregon Terrorism Information Threat Analysis Network (TITAN) Fusion Center,
chair of the Deschutes County Crisis Intervention (CIT) Steering Committee and National
Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI).
Darling begins in his new role at COCC on Monday, April 3.
