Redefining Campus Policing: Chief Bryan Vaughn’s Vision for Campus Safety at A&M-Commerce

Vaughn’s leadership and vision for campus safety center around empathy, proactive measures and community involvement.

University police are tasked with the safety and security of students, faculty and staff across campus. That alone is a consuming and complex mandate. Yet, Chief Bryan Vaughn of the University Police Department (UPD) at Texas A&M University-Commerce envisions more. His efforts are redefining policing and safety on campus and in the region.

Ascending the Ranks

A native of Sulphur Springs, Texas, Vaughn attended Kilgore College and Sam Houston State University on a football scholarship before transferring to A&M-Commerce. He joined the University Police Department in 1998 while completing his bachelor's in criminal justice.

“At the time, there was an officer working here who found out that I had been through the police academy,” Vaughn recalls. “He encouraged me to apply, and I picked up an application that day.”

Three weeks later, Vaughn left his job in insurance sales to join the department and begin his career in law enforcement. He eventually served as assistant chief under then-chief Donna Spinato for 12 years before ascending to the top spot in 2018 following her retirement.

He's grateful for Spinato's leadership and support.

“She gave me the opportunity to tag along on a lot of conferences and events,” Vaughn said. “So, I was pretty well-rounded when I came into the position. I knew what it was about. I knew what I was getting into.”

Redefining the Role of University Police

Vaughn says the department has grown significantly since 2018 in both its size and mission.

The department now has 36 employees, including 25 officers. With that growth, Vaughn says UPD has transitioned from a reactive to a proactive approach to campus safety.

“We stay current with all the laws. We stay current on news and trends, not only in Texas but around the nation, related to university policing, policing in general and what may impact our university,” he said.

Vaughn is particularly proud of the department's newly acquired accreditation by the Texas Police Chiefs Association (TPCA).

“We've become an accredited department over the last year. It took a lot of work to get there,” he said. “We were always a good department, but we strive to be the best we can be. Accreditation was a major step for us. It means our policies and procedures are consistent with what the state of Texas and the nation determine a police department should be.”

He said UPD is one of only two TPCA-accredited police departments in Hunt County.

“We are very, very proud of that,” Vaughn said. “At the time when we met the qualifications for it, there were less than 200 accredited police departments out of 3,000 in the state of Texas.”

It Starts with People

Vaughn says his vision for policing begins with people.

“Whether it's the community we serve or the people who work at UPD, we always try to look at the people aspect of what we do first,” he said. “I want officers who are friendly and that students, faculty and staff can talk to. A lot of our officers are graduates of A&M-Commerce. We're not just here to enforce the laws. We're part of the community.”

When dealing with students at A&M-Commerce, he often thinks of how he wants his children treated. He also thinks of his younger days.

“I was young, too, and made mistakes. If I can set a student down and have a conversation that fixes the problem rather than taking somebody to jail, everybody is better served,” he said. “That's the latitude we give our officers. There are times when we have to take law enforcement action, but if we can have a conversation and fix the problem, that's what we prefer to do.”

He added: “To me, the worst thing that can happen is for one of our students to leave here with a criminal record. That's not what this place is for, and it's not what we're about. So, we do a lot of talking, teaching and encouraging students.”

Community Engagement

Beyond campus safety, Vaughn said UPD hosts at least one community outreach event each semester and often more. He also encourages students, faculty and staff to meet, interact and communicate with officers around campus.

“We want to come to events. We want to come to classes and be part of the student experience,” he said. “That's the culture we're building here. We've got to get back to being part of the community, not aside from it.”

The National Night Out event held each fall semester is one of UPD's biggest community outreach events. The department partners with numerous divisions around campus to make the event a success. Vaughn said more than 1,000 students attend the annual event, which promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie. The department also hosts a “Know Your Police Department” event each spring.

One significant change in recent years is the creation of the department's community engagement position. Vaughn said Sergeant Ray Dittrich is the ideal fit for the role, serving as an ambassador and liaison between UPD and the university community.

“His job is to go out and meet with various groups, contact the campus and find out what's going on,” Vaughn said. “We all do that to an extent, but that's his specific job, and he's great at it.”

Another new addition is the crime victim services coordinator position, which is tasked with keeping victims and the community informed on the progress of investigations.

The department also started Safe Walk, a program that pairs students with an officer or student worker who walks them from one campus location to another during evening hours.

Regionally, UPD partners frequently with Lion Athletics to provide officers at some off-campus events. The department also meets monthly with law enforcement representatives from around Hunt County to identify trends and possible problems.

Modern Tech

Technology plays a big part in Vaughn's vision for UPD and campus safety.

Perhaps the department's most far-reaching technology asset is a network of nearly 800 cameras providing eyes in the sky at the Commerce and Dallas campuses.

“There's always someone in our dispatch area who is watching the cameras,” Vaughn said. “When something happens in a particular area, the dispatcher can zoom in and be an additional lookout for officers who are responding to those calls.”

The department is also implementing the use of license plate readers on some patrol vehicles. The technology can help officers quickly identify whether a vehicle belongs on campus, or if it has been reported as stolen or involved in an accident.

Along with its new phone system, which records every call coming into the department, UPD is also considering participation in Hunt County's new communication system. Called a trunk system, the network connects law enforcement and emergency responders in Hunt, Rockwall and Collin counties under one system. Joining the trunk system would allow UPD to communicate with its officers regardless of where they are within the three-county network, without interference.

Innovative Training

UPD invests significantly in ensuring its officers are well-trained.

“It's expensive, but our priority is to have the best officers possible,” he said.

He says the university's on-campus police academy represents an innovative approach to transforming law enforcement in the region. Director Louis Lufkin continually seeks opportunities to add new aspects to the training cadets receive through the academy.

One critical piece to modern policing, Vaughn says, is the addition of mental health education.

“We're dealing with more mental health issues,” he said. “So, it's important that we're getting that education into the training. We recognize that someone experiencing a mental health crisis doesn't necessarily need to be placed in jail. We seek out opportunities to get them help, whether that's here on campus or through other resources in the county.”

Additionally, UPD prides itself on providing the latest defense tactics.

“We train in-house when we can, but we also want to know what others are doing,” Vaughn said. “A common detriment to many departments is keeping things the way they've always been. We want to go out and see what other departments are doing and bring some of that back with us.”

For instance, Vaughn said the department began integrating Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu techniques into officers' defense training. Assistant Chief Kyle Lowe recommended the training after significant research.

“We have several new officers with fresh ideas,” he said. “They're hungry and eager to learn new skills, and we want to make the most of that energy.”

Growth for the Future

The department's growth has maxed out its current space in Henderson Hall. Therefore, Vaughn said, the university is considering a move that would place UPD, Emergency Management, and the police academy under one roof as soon as 2025.

As the department continues to grow, Vaughn believes it's important to hire people who fit the culture at UPD. He said the focus is to build a culture by design, not by default. Subsequently, attracting the right people for open positions can be challenging. Recruits often want to advance straight to the rank of detective or supervisor.

“That's just not the way we work,” he said. “It takes a long time to get to that point. We don't just hire anyone. We want people who are going to come in and be part of what we're trying to accomplish within the department and on campus.”

Under Chief Vaughn's leadership, the Texas A&M-Commerce police department is becoming a model for campus safety and police forces across the state. His stewardship and dedication to community building and best practices foster a sense of trust and safety that makes A&M-Commerce an attractive option for students seeking a safe environment to learn and grow.