Department Structure

Communications is staffed 24 hours a day by TCOLE certified telecommunications officers. Telecommunicators receive all incoming calls for service, and dispatch patrol officers as appropriate. They monitor fire and security alarms as well as emergency phones situated throughout campus. The telecommunications center is a primary public safety access point for 911 calls associated with campus. UPD Dispatchers field more than 33,000 calls for service annually.

Community Engagement provides programming on various educational and awareness initiatives including personal safety, property safety, alcohol awareness, drug awareness, impaired and distracted driving prevention, sexual assault prevention, and self-defense. The Community Engagement team, in collaboration with the operations division, conducts more than 100 crime prevention programs each year. Community Engagement officers also assist in orientation presentations throughout the summer for incoming students and their parents.  These presentations describe UPD’s services and programs. Community Engagement collaborates with organizational development and communications to offer safety training courses to the campus community including Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events (CRASE), personal safety, and standard response protocol.  During these presentations, the community engagement team encourages the campus to download the Bobcat Guardian free mobile app that creates a virtual safety network of friends and family. The Bobcat Guardian app allows an individual’s chosen “guardians" to check the user’s status during a timer session. The call button feature allows direct connection to UPD with GPS location and safety profile information.

Criminal Investigations conducts all criminal investigations for offenses occurring on the Texas State campus. Investigators contact victims, interview suspects, examine physical evidence, conduct search warrants, obtain arrest warrants, and assist the district attorney’s office in the prosecution of cases. Investigators are specially trained in many different investigative methods, including crime scene search, evidence preservation, surveillance, electronic crime investigation, and sexual assault investigation.

Office of Emergency Management coordinates emergency preparedness resources, emergency response actions, oversees emergency procedures, and offers emergency training and exercises for the campus. The Safety and Emergency Communications provides the most up-to-date emergency information, communication messages, and resources. In the event of an emergency situation, including hazardous weather, this page is updated with the latest information available to the university. A notification is also posted on the university’s homepage and a text message or email is sent via the TXState Alert System. The campus community is encouraged to sign up for the TXState Alert system to receive texts on their mobile device or emails during emergencies.

Patrol provides law enforcement services to the main campus and surrounding area, Star Park, Freeman Ranch, remote university offices, and Texas State University property throughout the San Marcos and Round Rock areas. These services include, but are not limited to, responding to calls for service, apprehending criminal suspects, writing reports, conducting traffic enforcement, completing preliminary investigations, as well as other pro-active law enforcement services. Officers patrol in marked and unmarked vehicles, on foot, and on bicycle.

Records is responsible for the storage, categorization, preservation, and long-term storage of records created by UPD. In accordance with the Clery Act, the department publishes the 60-day crime and fire log as well as the Annual Security and Fire Safety Report. The Annual Security Report includes descriptions of campus crime prevention programs, procedures for reporting crimes, and information about the number and frequency of crimes reported to UPD during the last three years. The TXST Annual Security and Fire Safety Report provides information for both the San Marcos and Round Rock campuses. Printed copies are available at the University Police Department. Clery Act and Campus Security includes links to related resources such as Clery Act training for campus security authorities, and Clery incident report forms. The daily crime and fire log is available at 60-Day Crime and Fire Log. The Sex Offenders Database is also available for online access to information about sex offenders living, studying or working at Texas State .

Contact: 512.245.2890 or upd-records@txstate.edu

Security Services is comprised of non-commissioned security officers responsible for locking assigned buildings on schedule, checking campus to insure doors are secured, responding to fire alarms, and aiding police officers as directed to perform non-law enforcement functions.