The Longwood University Police Department(LUPD) has been recognized by Security Magazine for being in the top 500 best security leaders in 2014. Currently the LUPD is ranked 16th among colleges and universities in the annual evaluation of the security industry.
According to a Longwood University press release, the LUPD was ranked the 24th best in the nation among colleges and universities in an evaluation of the security industry in 2009 by Security Magazine.
The Longwood University Police Department was selected for the sixth consecutive year as one of the top 500 security operations in the nation, and is the only Virginia college or university in the 21 higher ed institutions on the list, which also includes Duke and Johns Hopkins universities and the University of Chicago.
According to Longwood Chief of Police, Robert Beach, every year Security Magazine does a survey of security operations across the whole spectrum of all different areas.
“It does a broad survey on budget, budget resource allocations, man power allocation and all kinds of things,” said Beach. “Then, after I fill out the survey, they do a public record check to verify everything said in the survey.”
"When I came here (in 2007), I found a department that was 80 percent security, and 20 percent law enforcement; now that ratio has been reversed which is the way it should be," said Beach.
According to Beach, the department is trying to gradually raise to the top of law enforcement and public safety to keep the department out there; Beach said, it is a group effort to keep the department where it is at.
“It is not one individual, its a passion by a group of individuals that gets mentored and gets encouraged,” said Beach. “So as much as I would love to accept a certain level of accolades for the leadership of the department, the reality is if I didn't have passionate professional people, if I had men and women here that didn't have passion for service, none of it would have been possible.”
Beach said the people who make up the department are what has made it such a great place, but the people above also contribute greatly to this; particularly “Dr. Tim Pierson for giving us the support we need,” he said.
“I hope in the bigger scheme of things we are not just seen as a security operation,” said Beach. “We’re not seen as just a group of people who respond to calls for the police service we are seen as part of the education and part of the brand of the university”
