Under the Texas Education Code, Subchapter E, Chapter 51, Prairie View A&M University is authorized to operate its own police department. The department is staffed by licensed Texas peace officers. Prairie View A&M University Police Department takes the lead in providing a safe environment for the university community by protecting life and property. To achieve this protection, PVAMU Police Department maintains proactive preventative and emphasis patrols to deter and detect crime, report fires and safety hazards, and control traffic on campus.
Prairie View A&M University is a special place that occupies a unique space within the history of the state of Texas. It is truly an institution of the first class with a community made up of different people, rich cultures, and strong historical backgrounds. The University Police Department (UPD) is tasked with and dedicated to making Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU) a safe place to live, learn, collaborate, and innovate.
While our main priority is providing the safest environment for our stakeholders, we also have a commitment to establishing positive relationships with our community, and further, broadening our concept of what community means. This is in deference to the fact that the things that PVAMU impacts extend well beyond our campus borders. Within two miles of the main campus, approximately two thousand PVAMU students live in the surrounding community. This means that UPD has had to reimagine its service delivery model and extend its reach to support our students. This change in posture also acknowledges the fact that PVAMU has campuses in the Texas Medical Center (School of Nursing) and in northwest Harris County (Northwest Center). UPD is positioning itself to support all PVAMU campuses and assets.
Since 2017, there have been tremendous changes and progress within the department that we believe will benefit the entire community. Significant among those changes, include the fact that UPD has become accredited through the Texas Police Chief’s Association (TPCA). Accreditation for police agencies is a credentialing process whereby their policies and practices are benchmarked against a body of professional standards to ensure that they comport with “best practices” for the profession. Accreditation is a voluntary process whereby when successful, agencies are publicly recognized for their commitment to professional excellence. Less than 200 law enforcement agencies in the state of Texas are accredited, out of almost 3000. UPD is committed to being one of those “recognized”.
The future is promising for both PVAMU and UPD. The Chief hopes that all stakeholders will embrace that promise and work collaboratively to nurture the potential in a way that is supportive and productive. He believes that “Producing Productive Panthers”, or “3P” is all of our responsibility and education occurs both inside and outside of the classroom. As such, all of our actions, UPD included, should be geared towards “3P” and providing a safe and secure environment for those who live, study, and work at Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU). While UPD will lead the charge for student and regional safety, please remember that collectively, we are all a part of the security function of PVAMU. Let’s keep taking care of each other and make PVAMU a great place to live, learn, collaborate, and innovate!
Professional Standards Division
UPD subscribes to a philosophy of balancing technical and tactical proficiency in law enforcement training. As such, PVAMU Police Officers are required to attend various trainings throughout the year. This training philosophy includes a requirement that all UPD police officers are certified as Mental Health Peace Officers, Sexual Assault & Family Violence Investigators, Dignitary Protection Operators, and Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) operators.
Additionally, officer training includes Crisis Intervention, De-escalation, Firearms, Defensive Tactics, Emergency Driving, C.P.R., Critical Incident Response, Human Diversity, and Dating & Domestic Violence Investigations, among others. Officers attend advanced training in bike patrol, crime prevention, crisis & hostage negotiation, precision rifle, and less-lethal munitions.
The Training Section seeks out new opportunities to expand the capabilities within the department and is tasked with the evaluation of training and equipment. Officers in the Training Section are trained on all department-issued equipment, write lesson plans for training, and approve lesson plans written by department instructors. The training environment in law enforcement is ever-changing due to advanced technology, and the changing needs of the university, regional and national community.
The Law Enforcement Recognition Program is a voluntary process where police agencies in Texas prove their compliance with 166 Texas Law Enforcement Best Practices. These Best Practices were carefully developed by Texas Law Enforcement professionals to assist agencies in the efficient and effective delivery of service, the reduction of risk, and the protection of individual rights. PVAMU Police Department is in compliance with the Texas Police Chief Association Recognition Program and strives to meet and exceed the gold standard for Texas Law Enforcement. UPD is an accredited police department through T.P.C.A.
The Mission of the Professional Standards Section (Internal Affairs) is to maintain the integrity and ethical standards of Prairie View A&M University Police Department.
Purpose:
The purpose of the Professional Standards Section is to investigate or coordinate the investigation of allegations of misconduct, including criminal misconduct, against police department employees, maintain related records, and liaise with appropriate investigative agencies to further legal processes.
Misconduct Investigations:
Examples of investigations are allegations related to the following:
- Excessive force – Learn more about the Use of Force Departmental Reporting Process and the Use of Force Investigation Process
- Sexual harassment
- Hostile work environment
- Disparate treatment due to gender, race, ethnicity, age, or sexual orientation
- Retaliation for reporting the misconduct of another
- Inappropriate conduct or comment of a sexual nature
- Inappropriate comment regarding gender, race, ethnicity, age, or sexual orientation
A completed investigation shall be submitted to the involved employee’s division commander by the supervisor of the same and shall include a summary of facts prepared by the supervisor with an appropriate conclusion, classifying each specific act of misconduct into one of the following categories:
- Unfounded: The investigation reveals sufficient evidence to believe the complained act did not occur.
- Exonerated: The investigation reveals the complaint act occurred but was legal, proper, and justified.
- Non-Sustained: The investigation discloses insufficient evidence to believe the complained act either did or did not occur.
- Sustained: The investigation discloses sufficient evidence to conclude the complaint of the act occurred.
For life-threatening emergencies, call 936-261-1375 or 911 to request campus EMS. Life-threatening emergencies are, but are not limited to events that could cause the loss of life, limb, or eyesight. Examples of life-threatening emergencies are heart attacks, chest pains, stroke or stroke symptoms, unconscious patients, serious accidents, uncontrollable bleeding, head trauma, serious abdominal pain, and illness or accident-causing immobility.
On the campus of Prairie View A&M University, the safety and protection of the campus community is of paramount importance. Security technologies implemented on campus are to reinforce and help maintain the safety of the campus community. Examples of security technology used include an access control system, surveillance cameras, and Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR).
The Prairie View A&M University Police Department also utilizes Mobile Fingerprint Scanners. These devices allow us to quickly identify people we come in contact with by scanning a finger. We are able to confirm the identity of the person we are contacting.
Divisions
The Administrative Division is comprised of seven employees, (8) sworn and one (1) civilian. The sworn positions are the Associate Vice President & Chief of Police, a Police Commander, a Lieutenant Commander, (1) Sergeant, and (4) Administrative Officers. The (1) civilian employee is the Administrative Coordinator to the Chief of Police. The Chief and Commander provide executive leadership and oversight to the entire public safety component of the University Police Department.
The command team oversees the department’s training program, human resource management, crime prevention, grants, professional standards, policy and research, and accreditation. The command team also oversees planning, research, and accreditation including management of a written directive system and online training system for the department. The administrative division maintains compliance with state and nationally recognized accreditation standards and organizes presentations of annual award ceremonies and memorial services. The Administrative division collaborates with community partners to manage a student-centered Citizen’s Police Academy.
The Patrol Division is under the supervision of an Operation’s Lieutenant Commander. In addition to the Operation’s Lieutenant Commander, other supervisors include four sergeants. One sergeant is assigned to each shift. There are sixteen (16) officer positions assigned to the patrol division. That division also mostly staffs the following specialty teams:
- Traffic
- Bike Patrol
- Special Weapons And Tactics (SWAT)
- Crisis Negotiations Unit (CNU)
UPD Specialty teams are used to respond to emergencies, staff special events, spearhead community policing/public relations initiatives, crime deterrence, and enforcement.
Crime Suppression Team
The crime suppression team is tasked with addressing a multitude of concerns. Police Officers assigned to this team utilize nontraditional patrol techniques to attempt to deter criminal activity that affects the university and the surrounding community. These techniques may include targeted patrol details in high-crime areas, as well as covert surveillance related to criminal activity.
The primary focus of this team is street-level drug activity and weapons violations. This may be done in marked and unmarked patrol vehicles. They will investigate identified problems, identify crime trends, and finally, attempt to identify and arrest perpetrators to prevent further criminal activity. When not assigned to these responsibilities, team members may be assigned to augment the patrol division for general response to calls for service as well as conducting emphasis patrols.