UT Austin combines police and safety programs into new university safety unit, names interim director

February 4, 2026

The University of Texas at Austin announced a restructuring of campus safety operations in an email from the Office of the President. The announcement creates a new University Safety unit and establishes the Executive Director of University Safety position to oversee it.

The unit pulls staff and programs from the UT Police Department, the Office of Emergency Management, the West Campus Ambassadors program and a newly formed public safety strategy team. The interim director will define how that strategy team is organized and how it will operate within the new structure.

University leaders said the changes are intended to place existing safety resources under a single management structure so coordination can be more efficient. Officials noted that the various units already cooperate in some areas, but centralizing leadership should streamline decision making for campuswide safety initiatives.

The Office of Emergency Management serves as the university's primary connector with external emergency response agencies, and its mission includes saving lives, lessening disaster impacts and protecting property. Bringing OEM into the new unit aligns emergency planning and response work with daily campus safety operations.

UT launched the West Campus Ambassadors program in 2023 to improve safety and cleanliness in the West Campus neighborhood. That program includes Safety Ambassadors, who share safety information, escort residents at night and coordinate with law enforcement, and Cleaning Ambassadors, who handle regular cleaning duties across the area.

The reorganization follows other recent moves to boost West Campus security. In recent months the UT Police Department announced a West Campus Patrol District, a joint effort with the Austin Police Department to step up patrols in that neighborhood.

President Jim Davis named Jay Swann, a former Austin Police Department officer with more than two decades of service, as interim director of the new unit. Swann will serve on the university's leadership cabinet and advise Davis as the university recruits a permanent director.

Community advocates expressed support for the change. Joell McNew, president of Safehorns, an organization of UT parents and community members focused on campus safety, said the group welcomed the move and urged continued community cooperation to build a culture that prioritizes student health and security.