'Approachable, reachable': UAPD leadership prepares department to welcome students back for Fall 2022

TUCSON, Ariz. -- (KGUN) — A call for help can come in at any time, any place on the University of Arizona's campus.

Emergencies can range from stolen bikes, to bomb threats, much like the one that locked down the university's College of Nursing last month.

Through all of these possibilities, the University of Arizona Police Department's chief said she wants to foster a culture where the campus community at large knows her staff are ready and prepared to answer those calls.

Here is part of KGUN9's conversation with Chief Paula Balafas and Deputy Chief Mario Leon:

JZ (KGUN): I don't know how differently compare Spring Semester to the Fall (Balafas started her tenure in March 2022)...How are you feeling going into (the starting) week?

Balafas: "It's a brand new academic year for me, and I have already felt the energy on campus. We've started to see that influx of move-in, the energy of everyone on campus. Students, faculty and staff are way up, so we're really excited to have a what I would call a 'normal' fall semester, finally."

JZ (KGUN): You've had time to familiarize yourself, spend time with your team engaging students. What's your sense of the campus community, what's your sense of what your team has to do, has been doing to get ready for the start of the academic year?

Balafas: "When I came in, it was a matter of trying to get the entire leadership team police department... get the team all on the same page in terms of our focus on internal culture, but then also being better collaborators on campus. We're really committed to student success, and part of that is being able to provide the best customer service possible. In fact, we have a new mission statement. It's: 'Exceptional people providing exceptional service for an exceptional community.'"

JZ (KGUN): A lot of different professions industries have struggled to maybe bring in new professionals into the fold, or retain in cases in some departments. I don't know what the data is for how your department has been doing in that respect. But going into the semester, where does that stand out for you? How do you make (UAPD) stand out as some place where exceptional candidates who want to come make a difference?

Balafas: "Every police department in the nation right now is having some difficulty recruiting. University of Arizona PD has actually been attracting a lot of really high quality candidates, and the reason we do that is because we're so diverse. This has to be the most diverse department I've ever worked for in my 33-year career. They're really committed... to campus safety, to student safety and it's wanting to engage the community. You do that one relationship at a time and it's finding that fit if people want to be part of an exceptional department that's really focused on on being innovative."

JZ (KGUN): What are those sort of key points for you that students and faculty should keep in mind when it comes to their police department?

Balafas: "We're available. While we have one of the safest campuses and what I think is a national model, we also are aware that we're in the middle of a very large metropolitan area, so we're sort of an island in Tucson. It's trying to make people aware that that crime is everywhere. No campus is immune from crime but we're doing everything we can to again, engage with students, faculty, staff, to call us when they see something that looks suspicious. If they don't feel safe, we're always here for them and, just an emphasis that we're here. We're approachable, reachable."

JZ (KGUN): What are the best ways for you to engage with the campus community, knowing it's a positive to have relationship outside of an emergency?

Leon: "The more we can leverage our social media accounts, the better we can get that without having to physically be present for a lot of folks. But, that supplements being out in the community and highly visible. We want to be out roaming around, whether it's walking, riding our bicycles, golf carts -- different ways of being on campus is great. We do patrol on vehicles, but to be out there and approachable is key."

JZ (KGUN): Over the years, what have you noticed are the big important things to make sure everything goes smooth (the first week of classes)?

Leon: "Our main goal at this point is to be highly visible and out in the community and interacting with people. This is their first time in Arizona, in Tucson in general. So, by being out there and answering questions, guiding them to where they need to be, finding buildings in the process, giving them safety tips throughout the way — that's what helps us the most these beginning few weeks of school."

JZ (KGUN): Not to generalize, but on campuses, there is perhaps a more present focus on sexual assault crimes. Also not to say it's a pattern of concern, but is that something you have to be acutely aware of?

Balafas: "Again, we're not immune to this. It happens probably, unfortunately, in every college campus in the United States. What we would want people to remember is if you're going out with friends, go out in a group, walk together, go to parties together, and be an active bystander. If you see someone in a bad situation, don't be afraid to pull that person into your group and keep an eye on them. It's really about just reaching out and taking care of each other, and I think that's something the Wildcat family does really well. There's a family sense here and it's been willing to have that connection with other people and even at a party being be willing to look out for someone else."

JZ (KGUN): We've also discussed the realities where I think even younger children are aware of threats and dangers on campuses — we've all seen the most recent, horrible example (Uvalde, Texas). This isn't to ask you for specific information on your department's response protocols, but establish there's a need for training, being ready to respond to the need of an emergency. Is that something just part of that reality in your line of work?

Balafas: "It is part of the reality in higher education and really any educational environment. It's having that high level of training where all of our officers can go into that situation, not hesitate, respond immediately and take action immediately. I think we've we've seen this lesson learned over and over and over again, basically since Columbine, that you have to be ready willing and able to do what you need to do."