Larry Cox is Trinity University Police Department’s (TUPD) new community awareness resource officer, and he and other officers are excited to see what he can accomplish with his new position. The university has had a community awareness resource officer in the past, but Cox became the third person to hold the position in May of this year.
“We have had this position for a few years and are really excited that Larry has it now,” said Pete Perez, TUPD assistant chief. “We want to get the message out to the students: we’re here for you.”
The community awareness resource officer works as a crime-prevention officer and with the Community Awareness and Resource Team (CART) to provide different service-oriented programs for the university, such as student appreciation days, alcohol awareness programs and other events such as the After the Fire presentation. Perez hopes to see Cox further CART by promoting the police department at New Student Orientation, hosting parent breakout sessions and possibly serving as an instructor for Rape Aggression Defense (RAD), a self-defense class that Trinity offers.
Clint Ratliff, special events and training coordinator for TUPD, looks over TUPD’s special projects, which Cox’s position falls under. Ratliff believes that Cox is extremely qualified for the position of community awareness resource officer.
“Larry has a lot of experience,” Ratliff said. “He comes from Texas A&M University Corpus Christi. He was a police sergeant there. He’s been here just over two years so he’s had time to get to know the campus. He’s participated in CART programs under someone else’s guidance and when the position came open he applied for it, interviewed, and we felt he was the most qualified to get the position. He’s driven, he’s really personable with the community when he goes out there. He’s a really valid candidate for this, and I see a lot of good things coming from that area.”
Cox explained his position as being the liaison between TUPD and the rest of Trinity’s campus community.
“I would like to try to engage with the students more, with education on alcohol awareness, theft awareness,” Cox said. “Internet fraud is a big thing; I think more specifically I want to try to touch on that because with our day and age now, computer crime has just risen tremendously. We’ve got first-years that have arrived, they’re kind of new to the experience, they’re away from home, so we just want to make sure that they’re taken care of.”
Many of the events that the CART team is responsible for are very important to TUPD because they get to show students another side of the department.
“We have events planned throughout the semester,” Cox said. “National Night Out is coming in October, which is a big one. We really like to engage with the community during that time just to show them that we’re not all about business, but we also are human and we like engaging with the campus as well.”
Cox also expressed his excitement about working for TUPD and as the new community awareness resource officer.
“Trinity is a great place to work for,” Cox said. “I’m so fortunate to be here. Our students and staff are phenomenal. There are challenges “” you get to see new faces every so many years because they all graduate. So the challenge is to try to reconnect with the new people coming on and build that relationship.”
Cox will be present at many of TUPD’s upcoming community engagement events. TUPD can be reached at (210) 999-7070 and the department’s emergency number is (210) 999-7000.
