On his worst, he was evacuating threatened students from Tower 1 residence hall.

But through his 41 years in law enforcement, there’s been one constant for Beary.

He cared.

And he has taught his officers to care.

“Law enforcement is still a face-to-face business,” Beary says. “I will ask my officers: ‘Tell me what you did this week to show you cared,’ 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’s when you know we’re in a good place.”

“As long as we care, and the public knows we care, this will be a great community.”

The Lake Mary resident will retire this week after spending 11 years overseeing , UCF’s 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.

“Under Chief Beary’s extraordinary leadership, the police force at UCF has become an innovative pacesetter for campus police organizations worldwide,” UCF President John Hitt says. “He 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.”

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’ kitchen table where his father plotted raids alongside members from local organized-crime units.

“When you grow up around it and you see that you’re supposed to help other people and supposed to support your community and do the right thing, you fall into that mindset,” Beary says. “It’s what we’re supposed to do.”

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’s Office.

“I didn’t direct my children into law enforcement. They made those decisions on their own,” he says. “They do a great job and are very dedicated employees. I’m really proud of their careers.”

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.

“The community has to support you, understand your mission and they have to want to be a part of keeping their community safe,” he says. “As 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.”

That philosophy has led to a soft interview room at the UCFPD station for victims of violent crimes, and Paisley, the department’s 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.

“When your people are thinking about things [ like victim services and community building], that’s when you know you’ve had an impact.”

“When your people are thinking about these things, that’s when you know you’ve had an impact,” he says.

A self-proclaimed college football fanatic, one of his most memorable days was the football team’s first game in its on-campus stadium in 2007 against Texas.

It was his 79th day on the job.

“It 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,” he says. “All the contingency plans we had, everything happened that first game. It really bonded those of us that worked it.”

His face lights up when he talks about witnessing the Knights’ last home games of the 2017 season – 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.

“My wife never knew I could yell like that,” he said with a laugh. “She had never been to a ball game with me because I’m always working. When you saw the heart of our student-athletes, how they really and truly cared in what they brought forward – to be a part of that was a lot of fun.”

He has also experienced some truly terrible days – 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 – the day a former student planned a gun attack but instead took his life at Tower 1.

“I think that’s where education keeps you current and helps you adapt to how the world is changing.”

“That was a very, very difficult day when you come to the realization 
 there is evil in this world. Only by some good police work and the grace of God did we avoid that,” he says. “No matter how much we try to do, when you are an open community, there’s 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.”

In addition to his service to the university, Beary further cemented his bond to UCF when he earned his master’s 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.

“Anybody can sit in a job and keep doing the same thing over and over. The key is what’s going to be happening next? How are you going to handle things as they evolve?” he says. “I think that’s where education keeps you current and helps you adapt to how the world is changing.”

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: “Train the next generation of leaders — then step aside and give them the opportunity to step up and excel.”

Beary says the time feels right now, but he won’t 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’s learned, he says there are three tenets that seem to have guided his every move.

It’s simple ideology, but maybe that’s why it works, and it’s what he hopes his officers at UCF carry on after he’s gone:

1. Honor your oath of office. It’s critical.
2. Be humble with your authority.
3. Always stay current and constantly advance your training.

As for what he’ll do when he actually takes some time to relax?

There’s 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.

“At the time, we had Hurricane Irma bearing down on Florida and citizens across the state were concerned,” Col. Grant Slayden said. “We had units flying in from Kentucky and others driving from New Jersey, Alabama and Georgia, all converging on Florida, and there was nowhere to put them. We got here and were welcomed with open arms with the full support of Dr. Kernek, Chief Beary and Jeff Morgan under [Dr. Hitt’s] leadership.”

For several days in September, UCF hosted more than 700 members of the 164th Air Defense Artillery Brigade and other units as they worked around Central Florida. Soldiers slept in the Nicholson Field House and UCF Athletics locker rooms, ate meals served by student-athletes and coaches, and parked service vehicles at Spectrum Stadium and around campus.

“My brigade was responsible for 40 of Florida’s 67 counties and we immediately took maximum advantage of the central staging area [at UCF] where we could disperse across the state quickly, post hurricane,” said Slayden. “We ended up saving 327 people from rising water, providing shelter for 10,260 people, distributing 2 million bottles of water, almost 1 million MREs (Meal, Ready-to-Eat) and 666 tons of ice — all staged from [UCF]. … It was amazing.”

For UCFPD, supporting the National Guard’s efforts is a natural partnership.

“We’re all in the public safety business: law enforcement, emergency management and the National Guard,” said Beary, who will retire on June 14 after 41 years in law enforcement. “The better we work together and the better we coordinate our efforts, the better service we provide to the citizens — and that’s what it’s all about.”

Hitt, who will step down from the presidency at the end of June, accepted the award with a message of continued community involvement from the university.

“People all around us need help and support, and it’s our responsibility as members of the community to do what we can to help our units as they attempt to safeguard the folks who live and work in these areas, including our own students and faculty and staff members,” he said. “We’re helping them help us.”

After much thought and deliberation, I have decided to retire from law enforcement on June 30, 2018.

I am proud to have served 41 years as a law enforcement officer and 11 years as Chief of Police for the șŁœÇֱȄ. I depart as the most tenured law enforcement executive in Central Florida, with over 25 years as chief.

My career has exceeded what I ever imagined when I put on a badge and gun as an 18 year-old patrol officer. I have been privileged to work side by side with incredibly dedicated and courageous men and women committed to their communities and this nation.

I have presented at the most prestigious law enforcement training programs in the world. I have survived numerous life threatening encounters and investigated far too many senseless acts of inhumanity. I have also witnessed countless acts of compassion by people from every walk of life to help those in need.

While serving as President of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, I had the privilege to represent law enforcement officers before global leaders, members of Congress and the President of the United States.

My late father, Winter Park Police Chief Raymond E. Beary always stressed to his fellow chiefs: “Train the next generation of leaders – then step aside and give them the opportunity to step up and excel.”

Now it’s my turn to heed his advice.

I want to thank each of you for your support and encouragement during my service at UCF. I am proud of the team we have assembled to handle the multiple situations that arise at a metropolitan university like UCF. We provide outstanding services to the university community because of our individual and group commitment to excellence.

The selection process for my position will begin early next year.

Best wishes and happy holidays from my family to yours!

– Chief Richard Beary

Fellow officers and UCFPD staff, family, friends and members of the community joined the celebration Wednesday.

UCF Police Chief Richard Beary swore the officers in and concluded the ceremony with some simple advice.

“Treat people with respect,” Chief Beary said. “Use the authority that you have honorably and when in doubt, if you wouldn’t do it in front of your mom and dad, don’t do it,”

The new additions bring UCFPD’s sworn total to 74 officers. Once the new officers finish their classroom training in September, they will be paired with a patrol officer to experience field training on the roads. Each officer will be assigned to the patrol division once their training is completed.

Meet the Officers:

That’s because Chief Richard Beary has been selected for the Florida Law Enforcement Officers’ Hall of Fame. Beary is among five officers to be inducted in a ceremony at the Capitol that will start at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 20.

Established by the legislature in 2014, the Hall of Fame was created to recognize and honor exemplary law enforcement officers who put their lives on the line for Florida’s citizens and visitors. Each year, inductees’ names and photos are added to a Law Enforcement Officers’ Hall of Fame plaque located inside the Capitol Building.

Chief Beary, who celebrates 10 years with UCFPD this summer, was nominated for the honor by the Florida Police Chiefs Association. Nominations to the Hall of Fame are reviewed by a selection committee and approved by the Governor and Cabinet.

“I am humbled and honored to be recognized by my peers and the leadership of the State of Florida,” Chief Beary said. “My devotion to community service was instilled in me as a young man, and I hope that during my career, I have inspired others to place service above self.”

His career in law enforcement started 40 years ago, when he first followed in the footsteps of his father, Ray, the chief of Maitland and Winter Park. His older brother, Kevin, was the former Orange County Sheriff, and two of his children also work for local law enforcement agencies.

When Chief Beary graduated from the police academy at Seminole State College at age 18 in 1977, he was the youngest officer in Florida. He had completed the academy before he even finished high school, and at first he was too young to buy his own gun and bullets, so his parents had to.

After first working for the Altamonte Springs Police Department, he went on to become the police chief of Lake Mary before joining UCF as chief.

In October 2014, Chief Beary was sworn in as president of the International Association of Chiefs of Police. During the next year, he traveled around the world to advocate for community-oriented policing and to consult with leaders and citizens about policies and best practices. The first university chief to ever serve as IACP president, he led the 25,000-member organization during a challenging time of civil unrest and mistrust in police.

Through it all, Chief Beary maintained his focus on community policing, a philosophy that makes citizens and law enforcement partners in preventing and reducing crime and the fear of crime. It’s a model that’s in place at UCF.

Chief Beary holds a bachelor’s degree in public affairs from Rollins College and a master’s degree in criminal justice from UCF. A graduate of the 143rd session of the FBI National Academy, he also serves as an adjunct faculty member at Seminole State College of Florida and has been a certified law enforcement trainer since 1981.

In addition to IACP, Chief Beary is a member of several state, national and international professional organizations. He’s received numerous awards from civic and service groups, and he’s twice been awarded the Medal of Valor for Performance Undertaken at Great Personal Hazard.

In his spare time—which doesn’t come around all that often—Chief Beary enjoys spending time with his wife, children and grandson and riding his Harley-Davidson.

The officers started their field training in February and were sworn into the UCFPD family Monday by Chief Richard Beary.

“The thing we cherish here is the ability to help the public but also to come up with new ideas and creative ideas to save lives and provide the service that we do,” Chief Beary said.

After completing their classroom and field training, the new officers will be paired with a patrol officer to get hands-on experience on the road. Once they’ve completed that training, they will be assigned to patrol.

The new officers are:

Click to watch a Facebook live video of the swearing-in ceremony.

The officers, who started their field training in July, were sworn into the agency by UCFPD Chief Richard Beary. Lieutenant Christine Gigicos, who joined UCFPD in July after retiring from the Orlando Police Department, also was formally sworn in.

“When you come here and work here, you’re a part of a team that is responsible for a lot of young people, a lot of important research and a lot of guests and visitors,” Beary said. “Our job is to support you and make sure you have the tools you need to do your jobs.”

The new officers will complete classroom and field training before hitting the road on their own. Each trainee will be paired with a patrol officer to get hands-on experience, and they’ll be assigned to patrol when their field training is complete.

The new officers are:

To learn more about them and watch a video of the ceremony, visit .

This month, he retires with an honorary promotion of lieutenant following 30 years of service with UCFPD.

Hartsfield, known for being a man of few words, had a simple message for colleagues who this week attended a reception in his honor.

“I was fortunate to be here all these years, and I hope that those of you who are in the same situation here, 30 years from now, will get the opportunity to retire from UCF.”

Former UCFPD Maj. Randy Mingo, who retired earlier this year, returned to UCFPD to support his friend and share stories about “the good old days,” when campus was still rural and when there were much less students and police officers.

“We’ve had some really great times, and I hope they don’t end,” Mingo said to Hartsfield. “Retirement’s really great. You’re going to embrace it, and it’s been my pleasure to work with you.”

When Hartsfield was first sworn in at UCFPD in 1986, Ronald Reagan was president and gas cost $.89 a gallon, Chief Richard Beary said, acknowledging how much UCF and the world have changed since Hartsfield started as an officer.

“Jerry, you’ve got a lot of good friends here, you’ve been through a lot here, and you’ve survived all of it,” Beary said. “A heartfelt congratulations.”

Hartsfield plans on enjoying his retirement by spending time on his fishing boat and going trap shooting with his friends and UCFPD colleagues.

“I always said retirement’s going to be different,” said Hartsfield. “Doesn’t mean it’s going to be bad, but it’s certainly going to be different.”

With festivities planned in the UCF area over the next several days, UCFPD will have an increased presence near campus and is sharing simple tips to help all those celebrating enjoy themselves responsibly.

“We understand that St. Paddy’s Day is an occasion for celebration, but we don’t want it to become an excuse to neglect safety,” said UCFPD Chief Richard Beary. “Don’t rely on luck to keep you safe. Follow the law, use good judgement and look out for your friends.”

SNAP, the partnership between UCFPD and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office that targets underage drinking and partying, will be in effect Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Officers and deputies will be keeping an eye out for underage drinkers, house parties, impaired drivers and other reckless and illegal behavior.

SNAP, short for Sector II Noise and Alcohol Patrol, is an initiative that began in April 2015 to target underage drinking, house parties and noise complaints. Since then, officers and deputies have seized hundreds of fake IDs, made four DUI arrests and issued more than 200 written arrests for possession of alcohol by a person under 21.

For those celebrating St. Paddy’s Day, UCFPD stresses the importance of having a plan to get home safely in place before going out. Plan on taking a taxi or ride service, or elect a lucky charm, a friend whom you trust to stay sober, as a designated driver. Buzzed driving is drunk driving, so never let impaired driving be an option.

Don’t press your luck by using a fake ID. Remember that possession of a counterfeit ID is a felony in Florida. Besides the criminal consequences, a fake ID could put your academic future, job prospects and ability to vote and drive in jeopardy.

While out, never leave a drink unattended or accept a drink from someone you do not know.

Also follow the buddy system. Look out for your friends, and don’t be afraid to step in or call for help if a situation seems dangerous.

UCFPD will be working around the clock this weekend and can be reached at 407-823-5555. Always dial 911 for a crime in progress.

There was a 31 percent decrease in violent crime, and property crimes dropped by 24 percent compared to 2014. Nearly every other category saw a reduction or stayed constant.

The full report is available here.

UCF Police Chief Richard Beary credits the lower numbers to the hard work of officers and the diligence of staff in anticipating crime.

“We’re pretty accurate in being able to predict what’s going to happen on our campus,” said Chief Beary. “We continue to push numbers down despite our student population growing, and that’s where we need to continue to focus.”

Students and faculty and staff members also play a part in campus safety.

“It’s about reducing opportunities,” Chief Beary said. “If we’re all smarter and we pay attention and reduce those opportunities, those people that seek to commit crimes are going to go somewhere else.”

UCFPD’s Community Relations unit hosts several events and programs to promote campus and personal safety, including a monthly self-defense class for women and free property registration.

To learn more about crime prevention, visit .