Budget limitations are some of the biggest challenges campuses face when it comes to making security improvements. Whether it’s a school, college, hospital, or church, just to name a few, most safety and security leaders are expected to do a lot with little when it comes to protecting their facilities.

In fiscal year 2022-2023, Cesar Gracia, director of public safety and chief of police at East Tennessee State University and a 2023 Campus Safety Director of the Year finalist, was able to nearly double the campus police department’s budget. How? By changing the department from a traditional police organization to one whose primary focus is community policing.

In this interview, Gracia discusses various initiatives that led to an increased budget, as well as:

• How he adapted to policing a college campus after training officers at Walters State Regional Training Academy for 12 years (1:51)
• How he informed officers about the switch to community policing and how he approached situations where officers seemed resistant to change (7:42)
• Recommendations for other leaders looking to focus more on community policing (11:01)

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• YouTube:  @Campussafetymagazine ​

CAMPUS SAFETY SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:

• Facebook: https://facebook.com/CampusSafetyMagazine
• X: https://x.com/CampusSafetyMag
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/CampusSafetyMag
• LinkedIn Group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/1836305
• YouTube: @Campussafetymagazine