Chafin to Be Named New Police Chief, Vacating Position at UMass - Amherst

Saul Chafin, director of public safety at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, will be named chief of University police today, filling a 13-month vacancy, sources in the police department said yesterday.

Chafin said yesterday he would not comment on the appointment until the university officials formally announce it.

Joe B. Wyatt, vice president for administration, also withheld comment yesterday, but said he will announce the appointment of a police chief sometime today.

Big Force

Chafin currently heads an 80 member security force at Umass--Amherst. The Harvard force included over 60 officers and administrators, as well as a large number of professional and student security guards.

Former Detective

A former detective in the Hartford, Conn., police force, Chafin assumed the position in July 1977, after serving for five years as associate director for operations at UMass-Amherst.

Students contacted at UMass-Amherst yesterday expressed satisfaction with the job Chafin has done there.

"The most important thing about Saul Chafin is he knows how to listen," Jon Hite, president of the school's student government, said yesterday. Hite added that Chafin, who is black, has been particularly effective in handling several racial incidents on campus recently.

A member of the UMass-Amherst police department said yesterday Chafin has supported members of the union representing campus police officers at various times throughout the year. "He's stuck with the union as much as he can," he added.

Chafin's predecessor at Harvard, David L. Gerski, resigned in March 1977 after a series of confrontations with the Harvard Police Association over his proposals to reorganize the force.

William A. Lee, a labor-relations specialist in the Department of Buildings and Grounds, was named acting chief last year largely on the strength of his expertise in dealing with labor unions.

Lee will serve as acting chief until June 12.