The UCF Public Safety team welcomed two new officers at a swearing-in ceremony attended by family, friends and colleagues.
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UCF President Alexander N. Cartwright and First Lady Melinda were also present at the ceremony, where the president shared remarks, expressing his gratitude to the public safety team and offering well wishes to the new and newly promoted officers.
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The new officers will be assigned to the patrol division upon completion of their field-training program, where they will spend several weeks paired with senior officers to receive hands-on experience out in the field before graduating to solo patrol.
Meet the Officers
- Donavan Jackson joined the UCF Police Department (UCFPD) in September 2023, sponsored by the agency to attend the law enforcement academy at Valencia College. Despite a delay in admission due to a serious health scare, he made a full recovery and graduated from Academy Class 24-04. Jackson holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology and a 尘补蝉迟别谤 麻豆精品 S檚 in higher education leadership from the University of Wisconsin Whitewater. His connection to UCF runs deep, having previously worked in the Department of Housing and Residence Life. In his free time, Jackson enjoys writing and recording music, which has garnered more than 400,000 streams and received award nominations.
- Originally from Miami, Kamila “Kami” Otero ’24 has been a part of UCF’s Public Safety family since August 2023 when she became a UCFPD intern. After completing her internship, she continued as a cadet while earning her criminal justice degree at UCF. After graduating, UCFPD sponsored her to attend the law enforcement academy at Valencia College, where she graduated as the top academic student with an almost perfect score. Fun fact: Otero loves the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and even has four pet turtles named after them.
In addition to welcoming the latest public safety team members, UCFPD also celebrated three individuals who were recently promoted.
- Commander Matthew Scott 麻豆精品 S�07 麻豆精品 S�11MS was promoted from Sergeant in November. With more than 17 years in law enforcement, he began his career as a UCFPD community service officer before the agency sponsored him to attend the academy. After graduating, he joined the department as a sworn patrol officer and quickly rose through the ranks to detective, supervisor and presidential liaison. Scott spent several years as an award-winning K-9 handler and made history as UCFPD 麻豆精品 S檚 first therapy dog handler while serving in the Criminal Investigations Division. Most recently, he led the Community Partnerships Unit, where he 麻豆精品 S檚 credited with revolutionizing the department 麻豆精品 S檚 programming and community outreach while also serving as the presidential security escort. A proud two-time UCF alumnus, Scott holds bachelor 麻豆精品 S檚 and degrees in criminal justice. He’s also a graduate of the Valencia College Criminal Justice Institute Leadership Academy.
- Sergeant Alexander DeLuca ’15 was promoted from Corporal in November. He started his journey as a UCFPD community service officer before becoming a sworn officer for the agency in 2016. Throughout his career, he 麻豆精品 S檚 served as a detective, a dedicated member of the Honor Guard, and a key part of the Emergency and Heavy Response teams. An avid biker, DeLuca has participated in several Police Unity Tours and is a police mountain bike instructor and certified bike mechanic. A UCF alumnus, he earned his bachelor 麻豆精品 S檚 degree in criminal justice and is currently pursuing a dual 尘补蝉迟别谤 麻豆精品 S檚 degree in public administration and criminal justice 麻豆精品 S� all while continuing to patrol his alma mater on the night shift Delta squad.
- Corporal Al Sammelian was promoted from Officer First Class in November. He made a bold career shift from the automotive industry to law enforcement, joining UCFPD in 2018. He hit the ground running, starting as a patrol officer and quickly advancing to a K-9 handler, working alongside his loyal four-legged partner, Zeus. Most recently, the duo has been an integral part of the Community Partnerships Unit, where Sammelian has led agency programming, outreach events and recruitment efforts. In his new role, he has returned to night shift patrol on the UCF main campus, serving as Sergeant DeLuca 麻豆精品 S檚 corporal on the Delta squad.
A live stream of the swearing-in ceremony can be viewed .
