About Us

VITAL - VISIBLE - VIGILANT

“Serve and protect the next generation of leadership for the
state of Texas and the United States of America.”

Brief History of the UT System Police

Created by the Texas Legislatures in the wake of the active shooter even of August 1, 1966, the University of Texas System Police charter was to “..employ and commission peace officers for the purpose of protecting life and property…” at the campuses of the University of Texas System of wherever else UT interests or assets were represented or present. This decision was followed by the creation of the Office of the Director of Police and the University of Texas System Police Academy in 1968 and thus began the nearly 50-year legacy of which we are a part today. Since that time 96 basic peace officer training classes have been successfully conducted by the police academy with over 2,000 graduates since January 1968. Today the University of Texas System Police deploys 550 sworn police officers and 900 civilian staff members across the state of Texas and at 14 institutions to fulfill that original mandate to protect life and property. With over 500 sworn officers, the UT system Police as an agency is larger than 95% of the 15,000 law enforcement agencies in the United States.

Our Mission

"The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Police Department protects and serves the campus community of students, faculty, staff and visitors by providing professional law enforcement service and actively promoting community involvement through progressive community policing partnerships strategies and a commitment to education."

Jurisdiction

The primary jurisdiction includes the Central Campus, UTRGV Coastal Lab on South Padre Island, the Academic Support Annex in Edinburg, Shary Mansion, McAllen Teaching Center, Starr County Campus, and properties throughout the Rio Grande Valley.

Organizational Chart

Download the UTRGV Police Organizational Chart.