About Us
Established in 1973, the UCF Police Department currently employs approximately 80 sworn law enforcement officers, serving over 68,000 students, 13,000 employees and thousands of visitors every year on the main campus and at three regional campuses in Orlando.
Vision
The University Police Department will grow with the needs of an expanding metropolitan university. The police department will augment services, not only for commuting students, but for the increasing number of residential students. Through continued documentation, review and planning, the department will be cognizant of the services that are required by the university. Those services will be provided by a well-trained, well-equipped and professional law enforcement department.
Values
In carrying out our stated mission, all members of the department should strive to embrace the following core values:
- Accept responsibility for our actions
- Exhibit respect of the individual
- Maintain open lines of communication within both the community and our department
- Ensure fairness to those we serve and with whom we work
- Demonstrate a commitment to excellence
- Solve problems in the community
- Demonstrate sensitivity to opposing points of view
Units
Patrol operations are what most people think of when they think of a police department – officers in police cruisers performing traffic stops and responding to calls for service.
UCF Police officers patrol campus 24/7 and do everything a city or county law enforcement agency does, but our officers take it one step further. At UCF, we believe in the community policing model, where engaging and connecting with our community is at the heart of why we serve. This means you can often find officers on foot patrols to meet students, faculty and staff, helping a visitor get to their destination, visiting the childcare facility on campus and hosting crime prevention programming.
We are so proud of our patrol officers and all that they do every day and night to make our community a safer and friendlier place to be.
The Criminal Investigations Division (CID) investigates crimes that occur within the university community. The sworn police officers in this unit have received special training in interview skills, investigative techniques, surveillance tactics and criminal procedures.
This division also includes UCFPD’s Threat Management Team, an evidence technician, a mental health clinician, and a crime analyst.
- Law Enforcement Analyst/Crime Mapping
- Performing detailed research and analysis on confidential criminal intelligence information, UCFPD’s analyst develops tactical and strategic plans for addressing crime, developing and disseminating criminal intelligence bulletins (internally and externally) and supporting law enforcement investigative personnel with tasks associated with criminal background information.
- Evidence Technician
- UCFPD’s crime scene technician handles the documentation, photography and collection of evidence at crime scenes. The evidence technician is also responsible for the proper management, maintenance and dissemination of all evidence, safe keeping of property, and lost-and-found property collected by the UCF Police Department.
CID is housed at the police department on UCF’s main campus Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., with one Investigator on call at all times.
The Community Partnerships Unit (CPU) is responsible for promoting, operating and reviewing safety programs for the university community. Officers are tasked with implementing crime prevention programming, participating in community events, and meeting with groups to discuss safety on campus.
The Community Partnerships Unit consists of three sworn officers, who provide regular programming to increase the community’s knowledge of safety and crime prevention. This programming includes Mighty Knights self-defense classes, property registration opportunities and classes on how to prepare and respond to an active threat.
CPU officers are located in the Community Outreach Center in the Student Union, next to the Pegasus Ballroom. Officers are available Monday – Friday from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.
UCFPD employs civilian Community Service Officers (CSOs) to assist in providing services where an armed law enforcement presence would not be necessary, allowing sworn officers to provide a greater level of customer service on calls.
Our Community Service Officers take reports of misdemeanor crimes, assist with securing and opening buildings, and also investigate minor crashes.
All CSOs must complete an in-house training program and are identified by their unique, light blue uniforms and police patches with the word “CIVILIAN” prominently displayed above the patch.
The Records division maintains all case files for the UCF Police Department and processes all citations, arrest affidavits and other paperwork that is forwarded to the court system.
Police Records provides information to federal agencies conducting background checks on members of the UCF community, and can also conduct fingerprinting and notary services.
The Records division is open Monday – Friday from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. and can be found at the police department on the main campus.
Just as officers patrol campus 24/7, dispatchers are available to answer your call at any time, whether you dial 911, the non-emergency number, or press a blue light phone on campus.
These dispatchers serve as a lifeline to our officers in the field and are responsible for sending them on calls, providing up-to-date information, checking driver’s license information and criminal histories or warrants, and coordinating with other agencies as needed.
UCF is one of the few universities in the country with their own dedicated Communications Center, which is located in the police department on UCF’s main campus. It is staffed 24/7 by certified dispatchers.
UCFPD has four certified explosive detection K-9s who patrol the main and regional campuses with their human partners. The department also utilizes two therapy dogs, who are paired with detectives and respond to sensitive or traumatic cases, like violent crime or sexual assaults.
Jurisdiction
UCFPD’s jurisdiction includes the main campus, UCF Downtown, the Rosen College of Hospitality Management, and the Health Sciences Campus in Lake Nona. UCF Police officers also patrol UCF-managed housing facilities on these campuses, and may respond to or assist with emergency calls in the immediate area, as needed.