The first meeting of the newly established University of Texas Police at Houston (UT Police) Community Partnership Council (CPC) was held virtually on Friday, Jan. 12th with 20 members in attendance.  

Chief William Adcox created the CPC as part of the Values Based Policing Initiative, which began implementation in the summer of 2020. Through the council, UT Police aims to better engage and strengthen the bond with the community.  

Chief William Adcox and Assistant Chief Paul E. Cross invited the inaugural cohort of members with a goal of gaining a diverse group of representatives from the UTHealth and MD Anderson campuses comprising students, faculty and administration..  

“Our team deeply appreciates your time and commitment and thank each of you. It was wonderful to see so many new faces as well as familiar ones united and ready to support this new venture,” said Adcox. “We look forward to providing you updates on our department initiatives and well as learning more about how we can better serve you.”  

The group received an intimate look into challenging situations UT Police officers face while protecting the campus.  Body camera footage was used to illustrate the officers’ training and de-escalation tactics, which Assistant Chief Paul Cross said are crucial during high-stress incidents.  

“We are going to show you some dangerous situations our officers have faced,” explained Cross before playing the video clip. “However, we want you to focus on how they are trained to remain calm and to treat the individuals they meet with compassion.”  

Amy Franklin, a UTHealth representative on the council said watching the videos were an “amazing and eye-opening experience.”

The council meets quarterly and for the next meeting, Chief Adcox tasked members with brainstorming ideas that could help strengthen the existing sense of trust between UT Police and the community.  

Questions about the council may be directed to utphoutreach@mdanderson.org.