About Us and Our Function
The Police Department's function is to impartially enforce local, state and federal laws, and to protect the campus from crime and disorder as efficiently and effectively as possible by professionally utilizing human and fiscal resources in order to provide outstanding service to the University.
The Police Department operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Police Department's authorized personnel is a total of 118: 38 sworn police officers, 56 public safety officers (PSO), 9 communications officers, 5 parking office personnel, 5 administrative personnel, 2 emergency management personnel, 1 transportation supervisor, and 5 key control personnel.
Police officers at UTA have completed The University of Texas System Police Academy and been licensed by the Texas Commission on Licensing and Officer Standards in Education (TCLEOSE). In addition to the Academy, officers receive 14 weeks of field training and a minimum of 40 hours of in-service training every two years, as required by law. Guards and communications officers complete an 8-week field training. Communications officers also complete a 40-hour state certified telecommunications training program.
The Department's police officers are commissioned by The University of Texas System Board of Regents per Article 51.203 of the Texas Education Code. These officers are defined as peace officers under Article 2.12 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure and are fully empowered by the State. As peace officers, the Department's police officers have the same authority to detain and arrest as municipal police officers.
An amendment by the legislature in 1987 to Section 51.203 of the Texas Education Code extends the jurisdiction of the University police officers to include all counties in which property is owned, leased, or otherwise under the control of the institution. A policy issued by The University of Texas Board of Regents in 1987 defines the primary jurisdiction of the UTA Police Department as the area within the geographical boundaries of property owned, leased, or otherwise under the control of The University of Texas System or UTA.
The UTA Police Department maintains a solid working relationship with the City of Arlington Police Department, as well as all local, county, state, and federal law enforcement agencies.
Accreditation
After a successful on-site re-assessment in December 2009, the UTA Police Department was awarded full Re-Accreditation by The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA ®) on March 27, 2010, in conjunction with CALEA's Winter Conference in Dallas, Texas. Through this process the UTA Police Department has successfully exhibited compliance with all applicable CALEA standards for Law Enforcement Agencies. Areas addressed include:- Law Enforcement Role and Authority
- Agency Jurisdiction and Mutual Aid
- Organization and Administration
- Direction
- Crime Analysis
- Allocation and Distribution of Personnel
- Fiscal Management
- Classification and Delineation of Duties and Responsibilities
- Compensation, Benefits, and Conditions of Work
- Grievance Procedures
- Disciplinary Procedures
- Recruitment
- Selection
- Training and Career Development
- Promotion
- Performance Evaluation
- Patrol
- Criminal Investigation
- Vice, Drugs and Organized Crime
- Juvenile Operations
- Crime Prevention and Community Involvement
- Unusual Occurrences and Special Operations
- Criminal Intelligence
- Internal Affairs
- Inspectional Services
- Public Information
- Victim / Witness ssistance
- Traffic
- Prisoner Transportation
- Legal Process
- Communications
- Records
- Collection and Preservation of Evidence
- Property and Evidence Control