Police Chief Sean O’Brien is sworn in by the Honorable Travis R. McDonough, chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee. The bible holder was O’Brien’s wife, Janet. Photo by Noah Camacho.
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga officially welcomed its new police chief at a swearing-in ceremony on Friday, May 10, at Patten Chapel.
Sean O’Brien, a decorated police officer with 24 years of law enforcement experience, was sworn in as UTC associate vice chancellor for public safety and chief of police. O’Brien came to UTC after having worked for the Chattanooga Police Department since 2007—where he was most recently a lieutenant in the CPD’s Neighborhood Policing Bureau and commander for the downtown Chattanooga area.
As part of the ceremony, Matthew Holzmacher was sworn in as deputy chief. Holzmacher, a member of the UTC Police Department since 2010 and an administrative lieutenant since 2021, had most recently served as interim police chief following the retirement of longtime UTC Chief of Police Robert Ratchford in November 2023.
The swearing-in ceremony was officiated by the Honorable Travis R. McDonough, chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee.
Event speakers included UTC Chancellor Steven R. Angle, Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration Brent Goldberg and former Chattanooga Police Department Chief David Roddy.
Following the ceremony, a reception took place in the UTC Library’s Roth Reading Room.
Click here to view a livestream of the swearing-in ceremony.
UTC Public Safety includes UTC Police, Clery Compliance/Records Management, Emergency Management, Environmental Health and Safety, and Physical Security.
Deputy Chief Matthew Holzmacher is sworn in by the Honorable Travis R. McDonough, chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee. The bible holder was Holzmacher’s wife, Mandy. Photo by Noah Camacho.
