Our History on the Academic Campus
Throughout its history, a community-oriented approach to policing has remained one of the Department of Public Safety's key strengths. Utilizing a wide variety of community policing initiatives, educational workshops (self-defense courses, Drive Sober, SafeZone) and outreach events (National Night Out, Coffee with a Cop, National Police Week), we actively contribute to building a collaborative culture at the university. By engaging with the community, Public Safety consistently fosters an environment where officers, faculty, staff and students feel a sense of belonging.
The story of UT San Antonio's Department of Public Safety is one of foresight, adaptability and a steadfast commitment to fostering a secure and thriving academic environment. Just prior to welcoming UT San Antonio's first students, University President Peter T. Flawn recognized the need to protect the campus community, and appointed Manuel C. Chavez as the university’s first chief of police. Flawn later worked with the University of Texas System to formally establish the academic campus police.
This same forward-thinking mindset continues today as the university recently became the first UT System university to have two women lead a police department. Stephanie Schoenborn was named the university’s Chief of Police in 2022, and Angel Lemmonds was appointed Assistant Chief of Police in 2023.
On June 9, 1973, The University of Texas System formally established what was then called the University of Texas at San Antonio Police Department. The department started with one chief, one sergeant, three patrol officers and 10 uniformed guards. The university police department began 24-hour police services on July 1, 1973. The first four police officers hired to protect the campus were Kenneth English, Douglas Mursch, Robert McLeod and Robert Bier.
The original police officer requirements stated that candidates must have 30 hours of college credit, be in good health and be at least 5 feet 7 inches tall. Patrol officers attended a 10-week academy at the UT System Police Academy in Austin. Classes included criminal law, education code, firearms, defensive tactics, physical training, and Board of Regents policies and rules. Upon completion of the course, the patrol officers were commissioned by the secretary of the Board of Regents.
As the university grew in the 1970s, so did the department. The team went from patrolling campus by foot to implementing the first fleet of vehicles used for patrolling: three Cushman Trucksters, each equipped with emergency lights on top.
In the late 1970s, the department drew much attention when one of their own, Sgt. Albert Rodriguez, made a 300-mile pilgrimage to San Juan de los Lagos in South Texas to give thanks for his daughter. She suffered from several birth defects and was not expected to have a long life. In 1981, his story was made into a TV movie, “300 Miles for Stephanie,” that starred Tony Orlando, Edward James Olmos, Peter Graves and Rosanna DeSoto.
The 1980s brought more responsibility, including overseeing parking lots and permits. With the country still reeling from the fuel shortages in the 1970s, the department created “mini-car” parking lots that rewarded smaller cars using less fuel.
By early 1987, the department began a shuttle service for students, where they could use any campus emergency phone to request a shuttle van.
As the university’s enrollment grew, the need for more officers became apparent. The department grew to include 23 police officers and four guards by 1993. By 1994, the department implemented the Bicycle Patrol, which included four trained and certified police officers. The 1990s is also when a future police chief began her tenure at the university.
By the end of the 1990s, the university established the Downtown Campus to ease the reach of higher education for all San Antonians. The campus quickly grew, which meant it needed full-time police presence. In 1997, the university police department expanded its operations to ensure the safety of its students and employees and the security of university facilities.
At the start of the new millennium, the department continued to see significant growth. Operations were moved to the Bosque Building on the Main Campus, where the academic campus team operates today. The department’s budget increased to $2.6 million and gained accreditation through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA).
With growth came more and newer training, and by 2008, the university's police officers were required to attend patrol rifle training and deploy them in all patrol vehicles.
Department presence grew as the university pushed to become a Tier 1 research institution. After the university established its football team in 2011, the police department formed a security detail for the head coach.
In 2016, the university hired Gerald Lewis, the first black police chief in UT San Antonio history. During his tenure, the department introduced a variety of programs that expanded and improved campus safety, including the LiveSafe app, the Annual Safety Walk Program, the Rowdy Watch Student Patrol and Fair and Impartial Policing Training. Thanks to the efforts of Chief Lewis and the entire department, the university was named one of the nation’s safest college campuses and received the Excellence in Campus Advocacy and Action Award from the Texas Association Against Sexual Assault.
Under Chief Lewis, the academic campus department became known as Public Safety for the first time, consolidating the police department and other emergency and health operations.
The start of the current decade saw a campus shutdown and reduction in force due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Officers kept watch over campus as many employees worked from home. During this time, Public Safety continued to find ways to serve the Roadrunner and San Antonio communities, including holding a “no contact” food drive and a virtual National Night Out.
In 2022, after serving as interim chief since 2021, Stephanie Schoenborn made history with her appointment to Chief of Police, the first female Chief of Police in UT San Antonio history. In 2023, Chief Schoenborn appointed Angel Lemmonds UT San Antonio’s first female Assistant Chief of Police. Chief Schoenborn and Assistant Chief Lemmonds are, together, the first two women to ever lead a UT System police department.
Public Safety celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2023 at a celebration attended by former employees, officers and civilians who served the department over the last five decades. In commemoration, the department created a time capsule that includes historically significant items from its 50-year history to be opened on the 100th anniversary in 2073.
