Members of Howard Payne University’s Department of Public Safety recently traveled to West Texas for an Oath of Office Ceremony at Lubbock Christian University, during which LCU swore in its first university police chief. HPU’s DPS assisted LCU as the campus upgraded its security force to become a university Department of Public Safety, a state-licensed agency comprised of both commissioned police officers and non-commissioned public safety officers.

As HPU completed the same transition in August 2012, the Texas Commission of Law Enforcement suggested LCU officials contact Dr. Paul Lilly, chief of HPU’s DPS, for guidance.

Dr. Lilly consulted with Mike Smith, chief of LCU’s DPS, many times throughout the process.

“Chief Smith contacted me early last year and requested to travel to the campus and view our operations first hand,” said Dr. Lilly. “He also requested copies of the HPU DPS General Orders and Policies and Procedures to use as a model policy for LCU.”

HPU’s DPS will again lend its guidance this summer as the campus police at Concordia University Texas in Austin restructure their department. Chief H.E. Jenkins, Concordia’s director of police, toured HPU’s DPS in June.

“We are very honored to aid other universities in the creation and/or restructuring of their agencies to better serve their university populations,” said Dr. Lilly.

Pictured above:  Dr. Paul Lilly (right), chief of HPU’s DPS, is pictured with Mike Smith, LCU’s newly sworn-in chief of police.