On his most rewarding days at UCF, Police Chief Richard Beary 麻豆精品 S�04MS was protecting football fans at , interacting with K-9s or swearing in UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 newest police officers.
On his worst, he was evacuating threatened students from Tower 1 residence hall.
But through his 41 years in law enforcement, there 麻豆精品 S檚 been one constant for Beary.
He cared.
And he has taught his officers to care.
麻豆精品 S淟aw enforcement is still a face-to-face business, 麻豆精品 S� Beary says. 麻豆精品 S淚 will ask my officers: 麻豆精品 S楾ell me what you did this week to show you cared, 麻豆精品 S� and they share with me the things they did. As long as we care, and the public knows we care, this will be a great community. That 麻豆精品 S檚 when you know we 麻豆精品 S檙e in a good place. 麻豆精品 S�
麻豆精品 S淎s long as we care, and the public knows we care, this will be a great community. 麻豆精品 S�
The Lake Mary resident will retire this week after spending 11 years overseeing , UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 and the Department of Security and Emergency Management. Combined with his 15 years of experience as chief of police for Lake Mary, he retires as the most tenured law enforcement executive in Central Florida.
麻豆精品 S淯nder Chief Beary 麻豆精品 S檚 extraordinary leadership, the police force at UCF has become an innovative pacesetter for campus police organizations worldwide, 麻豆精品 S� UCF President John Hitt says. 麻豆精品 S淗e has worked tirelessly to enhance safety, prevent crime, and strengthen ties among many campus and community stakeholders. The result is a better quality of life for UCF students, faculty, staff, and visitors. 麻豆精品 S�
Call of Duty
Beary graduated from the police academy at Seminole State College in 1977 at the age of 18 as the youngest officer in Florida. So young, in fact, that he needed his parents to purchase his gun and bullets for him.
But his first glimpse of life in public service happened well before then.
His father, Ray, was the chief of Maitland and Winter Park, and his older brother, Kevin, was the former Orange County sheriff.
As a child, Beary remembers many nights hanging around the Bearys 麻豆精品 S� kitchen table where his father plotted raids alongside members from local organized-crime units.
麻豆精品 S淲hen you grow up around it and you see that you 麻豆精品 S檙e supposed to help other people and supposed to support your community and do the right thing, you fall into that mindset, 麻豆精品 S� Beary says. 麻豆精品 S淚t 麻豆精品 S檚 what we 麻豆精品 S檙e supposed to do. 麻豆精品 S�
And Beary has done it well.
He was inducted into the Florida Law Enforcement Officers’ Hall of Fame in 2017 and has twice been awarded the Medal of Valor for performance undertaken at great personal hazard.
In 2014, he became the first police chief of a university or college law enforcement agency to serve as president of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, an organization of more than 22,000 members at the time.
Perhaps, though, the greatest testament to his legacy is that his children have followed his lead.
His son, Greg, who earned his degree from UCF in criminal justice in 2011, works for the Orlando Police Department, and his daughter, Jill, is a homicide detective with the Orange County Sheriff 麻豆精品 S檚 Office.
麻豆精品 S淚 didn 麻豆精品 S檛 direct my children into law enforcement. They made those decisions on their own, 麻豆精品 S� he says. 麻豆精品 S淭hey do a great job and are very dedicated employees. I 麻豆精品 S檓 really proud of their careers. 麻豆精品 S�
Protecting Knight Nation
When Beary arrived at UCF in June 2007, he focused on building a team that incorporated good community policing and mental-health training. He believes those two priorities are the bedrocks of an effective unit.
麻豆精品 S淭he community has to support you, understand your mission and they have to want to be a part of keeping their community safe, 麻豆精品 S� he says. 麻豆精品 S淎s for the mental-health piece, we deal with so many people who are in crisis, so we need to teach people how to deal with that. 麻豆精品 S�
That philosophy has led to a soft interview room at the UCFPD station for victims of violent crimes, and Paisley, the department 麻豆精品 S檚 first therapy dog.
Whether it is improving their services for victims or making the community stronger, Beary said his proudest moments as chief are when his staff comes to him with ideas to address these needs.
麻豆精品 S淲hen your people are thinking about things [ like victim services and community building], that 麻豆精品 S檚 when you know you 麻豆精品 S檝e had an impact. 麻豆精品 S�
麻豆精品 S淲hen your people are thinking about these things, that 麻豆精品 S檚 when you know you 麻豆精品 S檝e had an impact, 麻豆精品 S� he says.
A self-proclaimed college football fanatic, one of his most memorable days was the football team 麻豆精品 S檚 first game in its on-campus stadium in 2007 against Texas.
It was his 79th day on the job.
麻豆精品 S淚t was organized chaos. We did a great job of adapting on the run. It was a very challenging day, but it was very rewarding because every obstacle that got thrown at us, we handled, all the way down to a lightning delay at the football game, 麻豆精品 S� he says. 麻豆精品 S淎ll the contingency plans we had, everything happened that first game. It really bonded those of us that worked it. 麻豆精品 S�
His face lights up when he talks about witnessing the Knights 麻豆精品 S� last home games of the 2017 season 麻豆精品 S� the memorable wins over rival USF and Memphis to clinch the American Athletic Conference Championship. When UCF punched its ticket to the Peach Bowl, Beary traveled to Atlanta with his wife to support the Knights in perhaps the most thrilling game in school history.
麻豆精品 S淢y wife never knew I could yell like that, 麻豆精品 S� he said with a laugh. 麻豆精品 S淪he had never been to a ball game with me because I 麻豆精品 S檓 always working. When you saw the heart of our student-athletes, how they really and truly cared in what they brought forward 麻豆精品 S� to be a part of that was a lot of fun. 麻豆精品 S�
He has also experienced some truly terrible days 麻豆精品 S� the ones that every officer hopes to avoid, but prepares for if they come. Without hesitation, he cites March 18, 2013, as his hardest day at UCF 麻豆精品 S� the day a former student planned a gun attack but instead took his life at Tower 1.
麻豆精品 S淚 think that 麻豆精品 S檚 where education keeps you current and helps you adapt to how the world is changing. 麻豆精品 S�
麻豆精品 S淭hat was a very, very difficult day when you come to the realization 麻豆精品 S� there is evil in this world. Only by some good police work and the grace of God did we avoid that, 麻豆精品 S� he says. 麻豆精品 S淣o matter how much we try to do, when you are an open community, there 麻豆精品 S檚 chances for these kinds of people. We doubled down on our training. We made a lot of changes internally at the university. We really focus on trying to make sure no one slips through the cracks. 麻豆精品 S�
In addition to his service to the university, Beary further cemented his bond to UCF when he earned his master 麻豆精品 S檚 degree in criminal justice in 2011. He recalls spending more time at the kitchen table completing homework than his daughter, a high school senior at the time, and pre-teen sons. Still, he credits education as a crucial tool in making him into a better officer.
麻豆精品 S淎nybody can sit in a job and keep doing the same thing over and over. The key is what 麻豆精品 S檚 going to be happening next? How are you going to handle things as they evolve? 麻豆精品 S� he says. 麻豆精品 S淚 think that 麻豆精品 S檚 where education keeps you current and helps you adapt to how the world is changing. 麻豆精品 S�
Trading in a Cruiser for a Cadillac
When Beary announced his retirement from UCF in November, he quoted his father in his letter to his officers: 麻豆精品 S淭rain the next generation of leaders 麻豆精品 S� then step aside and give them the opportunity to step up and excel. 麻豆精品 S�
Beary says the time feels right now, but he won 麻豆精品 S檛 quit the badge completely.
He plans to teach law enforcement leadership and officer- safety programs for the federal government and also act as a consultant for local companies.
As he reflects on the past four decades and what he 麻豆精品 S檚 learned, he says there are three tenets that seem to have guided his every move.
It 麻豆精品 S檚 simple ideology, but maybe that 麻豆精品 S檚 why it works, and it 麻豆精品 S檚 what he hopes his officers at UCF carry on after he 麻豆精品 S檚 gone:
- Honor your oath of office. It 麻豆精品 S檚 critical.
- Be humble with your authority.
- Always stay current and constantly advance your training.
As for what he 麻豆精品 S檒l do when he actually takes some time to relax?
There 麻豆精品 S檚 grandkids to play with and a to-do list five years in the making. At the top is organizing his workshop at a house he owns in Georgia near a lake.
And there will definitely be some joyrides in his white, 1976 Cadillac Eldorado convertible with plenty of memories in the rearview mirror.
