CCJ Directory

Before becoming D.C.’s first Deputy Auditor for Public Safety, Magnus served as Senior Advisor for Public Safety at the Policing Project. He has been a leader in policing and criminal justice reform throughout his law enforcement career spanning four decades. Magnus worked his way up the ranks in Lansing, Michigan, and then served as a police chief in cities as diverse as Fargo, North Dakota; Richmond, California; and Tucson, Arizona. Magnus also served as Commissioner of Customs and Border Protection (CBP), where he oversaw more than 60,000 employees and ensured the effective operations of CBP’s mission to protect national security while promoting economic prosperity.

Magnus has a master’s degree in Labor Relations and a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Michigan State University. He also attended the “Senior Executives in State & Local Government” program at the Harvard Kennedy School and the FBI National Executive Institute program. In 2020, he received the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) Leadership Award.