UT Arlington appoints Arlington Deputy Police Chief Kim Lemaux as next University Police Chief

Lemaux is a UT Arlington alumna with more than three decades of law enforcement experience and expertise in training, operations and event safety management.

Kim Lemaux, an Arlington, Texas, deputy police chief with more than three decades of law enforcement experience and expertise in training, operations and event safety management, has been named chief of the UT Arlington Police Department.

Lemaux is a UT Arlington alumna who earned her undergraduate degree in business management. She is currently working toward a master’s degree in security management through American Public University.

At UT Arlington, Lemaux will lead a department that includes 38 sworn officers, 56 guards, police communications and emergency management staff and oversee a $6.7 million annual budget. Her first day will be July 1.

President James D. Spaniolo called Lemaux’s law enforcement credentials impressive, noting her significant background in training, criminal analysis and strategic planning. Lemaux’s extensive experience in community-based policing and collaborations with the Texas Rangers Baseball Club and the Dallas Cowboys, among other major organizations, made her the ideal candidate to lead the University’s police force, he said.

“Chief Lemaux has a deep and diverse law enforcement background in all facets of law enforcement,” Spaniolo said. “She is a consummate professional and a leader who is deeply invested in our community and our University. We could not be more pleased that she is joining the UT Arlington team.”

Michael J. Heidingsfield, director of police for The University of Texas System, worked with Lemaux early in his career with the Arlington Police Department. He said she is “the perfect choice” for UT Arlington police chief.

“Her career at the Arlington Police Department has given her exposure to every facet of policing including spending a great deal of time dealing with the crime and public safety issues that inevitably encroach onto campus,” Heidingsfield said. “Her personable style, willingness to listen and commitment to the community she serves are all hallmarks of a great police chief in the making. I am delighted she is joining us.”

Lemaux began her law enforcement career as an Arlington police dispatcher in 1982. The following year, she became a patrol officer. By 1985, she was teaching future colleagues as a field training officer.

Lemaux rose rapidly through the Arlington Police Department ranks and was promoted to deputy chief in 2001. She has supervised patrol divisions, investigative services and technical services in recent years. Her current responsibilities as the department’s senior command staff executive include leading an operational bureau of 121 staff members and an annual budget of $14 million.

Among her many achievements, Lemaux said she is most proud of her work with the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education, or TCLEOSE, to help craft statewide curriculum for basic police academies.

At UT Arlington, Lemaux said she will work to provide a safe environment for all students, faculty and staff in an era when enrollment, the campus resident population and campus events continue to grow and thrive.

“I want to build our capacity to make UT Arlington the safest and most secure campus it can be,” Lemaux said. “Coming from an organization that deeply values community-based policing and collaboration with other organizations is going to help me immensely.”

She added: “I’m honored and humbled to have the opportunity to serve UT Arlington.”

John Hall, vice president for administration and campus operations, supervises the UT Arlington Police Department. He expressed appreciation to the search committee that identified Lemaux as the strongest candidate for chief and credited Assistant Police Chief Ricardo Gomez and the UT Arlington police command staff for their work to ensure a smooth transition to Lemaux’s administration.

Lemaux’s focus will include increasing campus security, maintaining excellence through the department’s ongoing accreditation efforts, professional development for the department and further developing the University’s emergency planning efforts, Hall said.

“Chief Lemaux has a real passion for serving the University and our community,” Hall said. “Her leadership style will serve our University and our police department exceptionally well.”

The University of Texas at Arlington is a comprehensive research institution of more than 33,800 students and 2,200 faculty members in the heart of North Texas. Visit www.uta.edu to learn more.

Media contact: Kristin Sullivan, Kristinsul@uta.edu, 817-272-5364

The University of Texas at Arlington, www.uta.edu

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