Gov. Abbott appoints UTA police chief to law enforcement commission

Kim Lemaux, chief of police for The University of Texas at Arlington, has been appointed to the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement by Gov. Greg Abbott.

As a state regulatory agency, the commission’s mission is to establish and enforce standards to ensure that the people of Texas are served by highly trained and ethical law enforcement, corrections and telecommunications personnel. The agency, which was established in 1965, also hands out professional achievement awards and recognizes Texas peace officers who have died in the line of duty.

“I’m humbled and honored to serve on this commission,” Lemaux said. “The commission’s objectives and work in improving law enforcement in Texas are admirable. It’s what Texas citizens deserve.”

Lemaux joined UTA in 2013 from the City of Arlington Police Department, where she served as deputy police chief. Lemaux graduated from the North Texas Regional Council of Governments Police Academy and received a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from UTA and a master’s degree in security management from American Public University in Charles Town, West Va.

Currently, she is the vice president of the Texas Association of College and University Police Administrators and a member of the International Association of Police Chiefs, North Texas and  Texas Police Chiefs associations, the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators and the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies.

“Chief Lemaux is a consummate professional and a wonderful asset to both the University of Texas at Arlington and the University of Texas System Police,” UT System Director of Police Michael Heidingsfield said. “Her contributions to the Texas Commission of Law Enforcement will be substantial. We applaud her selection.”

At UTA, Lemaux leads a department that includes 44 sworn officers, 47 public safety officers, police telecommunicators and emergency management staff and oversees a $6.7 million annual budget.

Over the past three years, work by the UTA Police Department has garnered a significant reduction in burglary, robbery and domestic violence incidents on campus. One such initiative, a strategic partnership with the library, reduced thefts by 63 percent in the building.

The University of Texas System recently named the UTA Police Department the 2016 Pacesetter Police Department of the Year. The award is presented to the department within the system that demonstrates a commitment to public safety and contemporary policing, as well as setting an example for other UT System institutions.

“The innovative tactics and community policing employed by Chief Lemaux and her department are getting real results on our campus,” said John Hall, UTA vice president of administration and campus operations. “Students see the commitment of our police officers and know UTA is a campus that values their safety.”

The UTA Police Department is accredited by two national accrediting agencies: the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies and the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators Less than 2 percent of university police departments and agencies across the country earn this designation.

UTA’s participation in the National Night Out event has earned the department recognition for community-building on campus and in the Arlington area by the National Association of Town Watch. UTA has been recognized for these efforts for five consecutive years.

Lemaux’s appointment is through Aug. 30, 2021.

About The University of Texas at Arlington

The University of Texas at Arlington is a Carnegie Research-1 “highest research activity” institution. With a projected global enrollment of close to 57,000, UTA is one of the largest institutions in the state of Texas. Guided by its Strategic Plan 2020 Bold Solutions|Global Impact, UTA fosters interdisciplinary research and education within four broad themes: health and the human condition, sustainable urban communities, global environmental impact, and data-driven discovery. UTA was recently cited by U.S. News & World Report as having the second lowest average student debt among U.S. universities. U.S. News & World Report lists UTA as having the fifth highest undergraduate diversity index among national universities. The University is a Hispanic-Serving Institution and is ranked as the top four-year college in Texas for veterans on Military Times’ 2017 Best for Vets list.

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