24 hours with the police department

Officers share what a usual day on duty looks like

Shown is David Schaelchlin, a university police officer, on March 10 in the University Police building on the Brownsville campus.
Karla Hernandez/THE RIDER

The UTRGV Police Department, with about 6,065 officers distributed across university campuses, works 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, including holidays, to keep students, faculty and staff safe.

Marco Huerta, a UTRGV police officer for six years and a former Brownsville Police Department officer for 27 years, who has worked at the Brownsville, Edinburg and Harlingen campuses, told The Rider about the purpose of the police department and what it represents for the university.

“We provide safety for the campus community … of course, safety is the No. 1 priority for the university, making sure our faculty, staff and students are safe at all times,” Huerta said.

He said the police department ensures all police officers have unique skills and personal attributes such as strength, empathy, patience and decision making, as they work together as a team who notify each other of any significant calls that concern the impact on the campus community.

The officers’ patrol ranges from walking to driving a car or riding a bicycle, allowing them to have visibility into the campus community.

Officer Huerta said students can receive information by following them on social media, such as Instagram, where they post updates about upcoming events they will be participating in.

“Downloading the Campus Shield app, we have posters [of the app] throughout campuses, [students] could go up and scan the QR code and download the app, it’s completely free,” he said. “It provides a lot of safety features on there that will be available to you if you need our police services.”

Shown is a police car outside the University Police building on the Brownsville campus. “[If something] doesn’t look right, give us a call, and we’ll look into it,” said Marco Huerta, a university police officer. “Whether it’s nothing or it’s something, we’ll look into it.”
Karla Hernandez/THE RIDER

The University Police building is located at 2671 FJRM Ave. on the Brownsville campus; at the Academic Services Facility Building 501 N. Sugar Road on the Edinburg campus; at 2102 Treasure Hills Blvd. on the Harlingen campus; and at 937 Bustamante St. on the Laredo campus.
Karla Hernandez/THE RIDER

Isaac De la Garza, a K-9 officer for the Edinburg campus, who has been working at UTRGV since 2014, said he initially applied as a cadet.

When asked what De la Garza enjoys doing in his free time, he replied, “When I’m off, just spending time with my family, I also like watching NASCAR, football, basketball and pretty much anything.”

The K-9 officer said his everyday shift consists of going for a walk on campus, while on duty, he interacts with students, faculty and staff to make sure everything is in order. He added his favorite part of his job is the community around him, and that he and his canines are available for any emergencies if needed.

Working at UTRGV for 17 years, Samuel Hernandez, a lieutenant for the Brownsville campus overseeing the patrol division, shared with The Rider what a usual day on duty looks like.

“I start my day off by checking reports … I have four sergeants who I closely supervise, and then they have officers,” Hernandez said. “I’m the one tasked to make their schedule. I also make sure that our officers are following policies, procedures and I’m more of a resource to them.”

He said he also oversees the K-9 division, ensuring the canines receive their weekly training and are healthy and ready to perform.

Starting as a part-timer at only 18 years old at the legacy institution University of Texas at Brownsville, Hernandez said his favorite part of his job is working in a university setting where everyone is one big family and building relationships and becoming friends.