Abbreviation VUPD Number of employees 226 (2015) | Phone +1 615-421-1911 Dogs 2 | |
Formed 2001; 16 years ago (2001) Preceding agency Vanderbilt Security Department (1873–c. 2001) Legal personality Governmental: Government agency Operations jurisdiction* Campus of Vanderbilt University in the city of Nashville, USA Size 0.75 square miles (1.9 km) Address 111 28th Ave S, Nashville, TN 37212, USA Parent agency Metropolitan Nashville Police Department | ||
The Vanderbilt University Police Department is the primary provider of law enforcement services for Vanderbilt University and areas immediately adjacent to university property in Davidson County, Tennessee. The VUPD covers a total area of approximately 0.75 square miles (1.9 km2) that primarily consists of dense urban locations. All officers for VUPD are commissioned by the Metro Nashville Police Department and carry special police powers, and operate under the authority of the Metro Nashville Police Chief.
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Composition and organization
The department has nearly 250 personnel, including over 85 full-time sworn members. The department responds to more than 100,000 police calls per year on average between the college campus, the medical center and the 100 Oaks shopping center.
The department is configured in a decentralized format, providing its precinct commanders with control of their own resources to address issues and crime trends in their areas. The department is divided into three precincts: Campus, Medical Center, and 100 Oaks. A precinct is designed similarly to a small-sized police department with uniformed police officers and uniformed non-sword community service officersrs.
The precincts are supported by the Administrative Division, Criminal Investigations Unit, and the Special Operations Unit, all in an effort to deter, detect, prevent, and respond to criminal trends in the precinct areas. The department's entire focus is on how to quickly identify trends and implement initiatives that address them.
Rank structure
The rank structure of the VUPD is as follows:
Community Service Officer
As of 2015, 89 of VUPD's 140 non-sworn (civilian) employees are Community Service Officers (CSO). The CSOs augment the police force by providing a variety of services that do not necessitate police action, such as providing a security presence at certain locations (dorms, libraries, lobbies, parking lots, etc), jump starting vehicles, unlocking or locking doors, etc. Additionally, select CSOs operate as shuttle van drivers for a student shuttle service provided by the university.