Family, friends, UCF police officers and staff welcomed three new officers to the department in a swearing-in ceremony earlier this month.
The three bring their military service, campus law enforcement experience, behavioral health training and many other outstanding qualities to the UCFPD.
“We are looking for people who have some experience and who offer a variety of growth opportunities as an agency,” said the UCF police chief. Carl Metzger ’03MS. “These three individuals will be a great addition to our already diverse UCFPD family and allow us to better serve the UCF community.”
The new officers are:
- King arthur, an army veteran who lived abroad for eight years, including Estonia, the Philippines and Turkey
- Katie proffer, former veterinary technician and former University of Missouri police officer
- Nina’s Stone, who has a background in behavioral health and has played basketball professionally in Israel, Australia and Puerto Rico
The three new officers are currently paired with seasoned patrol officers for hands-on on-the-job training. Once the field training is complete, King, Proffer and Stone will join the UCFPD family as patrol officers on the main UCF campus.
Live broadcast of their swearing-in ceremony the ceremony is visible on Facebook.
UCFPD Updates Training Program
The national call to improve police-community relations has led the UCFPD to double the conversations on campus and take action to improve training, policies and practices.
These changes include new initiatives built into the comprehensive, multi-month training course that all new officers must complete before patrolling on their own.
With an agency focused on community policing and a UCFPD presence at UCF Downtown, the management of the agency decided that all UCFPD officers should understand the history of the Parramore neighborhood. This led to a partnership with the Wells’ Built Museum of African American History & Culture, which arranged visits to all sworn officers of the UCFPD.
New officer training also included courses on fair and impartial policing, implicit bias, Racial Intelligence Training and Engagement (RITE), Autism Awareness, Mental Health First Aid. and crisis intervention. Although these trainings are provided to UCF police officers on an annual basis, it is important that all new officers receive this training from the start so that they can build on what they have learned during their time. future interactions with the UCF community.
“We have an agency mantra: ‘Do the right thing,’†says Metzger. “Listening to our community, responding to their concerns, and providing the tools to help our agents be the best individuals and agents they can be – that’s doing the right thing, and that’s what we are. “
To learn more about UCFPD’s commitment to transparency as officers who protect and serve, visit ucf.edu/safety/police-transparency.
