Specialized Services
Led by Capt. Douglas Sonego, UTSA Police (UTSAPD) Specialized Services Division comprises police officers and civilian staff who use highly specialized training, expertise and equipment to support UTSAPD operations. These services allow us to be proactive in maintaining a safe and secure campus environment, which includes investigating and solving crimes respectfully and promptly. We are on the frontlines working hard to prevent situations and behaviors that could jeopardize the wellbeing of our community. Our goal is to identify, assess and intervene where needed.
Capt. Douglas Sonego
University Police
Criminal Investigations
We are committed to the unrelenting pursuit of solving crimes that occur on and around the university’s campuses. We work to manage, coordinate and solve crimes with the most current investigative techniques. We ensure the proper deployment of resources, determine economical and effective case management, and maintain strong relationships with local law enforcement agencies in the greater San Antonio region to facilitate investigations of major crimes and multi-jurisdiction investigations.
Our detectives receive high-quality, specialized training in investigating a variety of crimes ranging from theft to homicide. Through case management and investigative techniques, we strive to help build the most solid cases possible for prosecutors. Additionally, our detectives make case referrals to Student Affairs, University Housing and Wellness 360 Counseling to provide a unified response to a student's needs.
Community Affairs Section
Our Community Affairs Section (CAS) partners with the university and surrounding community to educate and prevent crimes by offering specialized programs and services designed to enhance individual safety. Officers assigned to CAS receive specialized training in crime prevention and personal safety and are certified crime prevention specialists. Learn more about our resources by visiting the Crime Prevention page.
Communications
UTSAPD Communications is comprised of people dedicated to preserving the value of life and property for our diverse community. We answer and dispatch emergency and non-emergency calls in a timely, precise and skilled manner. Our Communications staff also monitor CCTVs, security access control, university gates and the campus security/fire console. We are committed to excellence in the delivery of these services while treating people with dignity, respect and empathy. We are the vital link between public safety and citizens who need assistance. We continue to explore how the latest technology and unique experiences can help us expand our services to fulfill the needs of our ever-changing university community.
Behavioral Intervention Team
The UTSA Behavioral Intervention Team (BIT) is a multi-disciplinary team of appointed UTSA staff and faculty who are responsible for identifying, assessing and responding to concerns and/or disruptive behaviors exhibited by students, faculty, staff and visitors who may present a risk of harm to themselves, members of the community or the university. The team and daily operations fall under the Specialized Services Division. For more information, visit the BIT page.
Threat Assessment
UTSAPD takes a comprehensive approach to threat assessment for the university community. Like the BIT, threat assessment is a multi-disciplinary team of law enforcement and civilian staff members who have specialized training in this area. We investigate and analyze situations and individuals that may pose threats to the public. We partner with local and state law enforcement fusion centers and UTSA BIT to strengthen the safety of our community.
Evidence & Property
UTSAPD has police officers and civilian staff specially trained to safeguard and store all evidence and property coming into its custody. We strive to maintain property in the same condition as received and to preserve the evidentiary integrity of property that is held for presentation in court.
Professional Development
UTSAPD houses a training sergeant and offers oversight to evidence and property. The training sergeant is responsible for administering the field training program for new officers they graduate from the police academy. The training sergeant is also specially trained to ensure each police officer employed at UTSA complies with the state’s training requirements and tracks each officer’s training records. UTSAPD schedules several in-service training classes throughout the year.
Special Event Security Planning
We play a significant role in the planning process of UTSA events. Whether scheduled or nonscheduled events, our team of officers draw upon their specialized training and law enforcement experience to ensure that all university events are held with public safety as a top priority.
Hiring & Recruiting
This section manages the hiring process from start to finish, which includes processing police applicants and background investigations. We encourage you to explore our careers web page.
