A Safer City

As UCF has grown immensely in recent decades, so has the city around it. In 2023, Orlando was the second-fastest-growing city of the country’s 30 most populous regions and the fastest-growing large region in Florida, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

While increasing crime is a concern for growing cities, Orlando has been vigilant. Orlando Police Department (OPD) reported 36% fewer shootings, an 8% decrease in homicides and a 6% decrease in violent crime overall in the past year. Part of the improvement is attributed to the data-driven Real Time Crime Center (RTCC), along with community outreach and increased recruitment efforts for which OPD Chief Eric Smith ’93 has advocated.

Smith, a UCF criminal justice alum who became chief in 2022, is using 30 years of OPD experience in various roles to guide the force to better protect and serve Orlando.

Engaging the Community

While at UCF, classes like Crime in America taught Smith what police work entails and how law enforcement should support the community. An internship with Homeland Security Investigations led to a ride-along with OPD, which provided a glimpse into his future career.

Smith started, and has spent most of, his career with OPD working drugs and patrol in the Parramore area of downtown Orlando. Through the department’s work with local Boy Scout troops and other engagement events, Smith saw the direct impact of engaging with the region.

“You have to take violent criminals off the street to have a safe community, but you also have to interact with the community so that people can see you’re a normal, everyday person, and they want to be around you,” Smith says.

As chief, Smith keeps that foundation in mind. In 2023 he launched Community Conversations, a series of events where OPD listens to and learns from residents across the city. Feedback from the meetings led to the creation of the OPD app, which provides residents with real-time information, enhancing safety and increasing community engagement. OPD has also provided and installed hundreds of free home cameras for community members.

“You hear what they really want and expect the police department to do,” Smith says. “I think that’s really what developed the kind of chief I am: … actually listening to people.”

Statistics-focused Safeguards

Smith and OPD officers are working on lowering crime through the RTCC, which centralizes information for strategic responses. Launched in 2019, the center is a 96,000-square-foot building featuring two video walls and nine wall-mounted monitors that use camera feeds and police records to give officers vital information immediately. It utilizes the city’s public safety camera network and real-time data to assist detectives. By reviewing crime statistics throughout Orlando, OPD uses analytics to determine where to deploy specific units.

“It drives where you’re working weekly [and] what [we] need to be doing,” Smith says.

Previously, if a suspect committed a crime in a specific vehicle, police stopped any vehicles in the area that fit the description, with various degrees of success. Now, with cameras around the city and license plate readers used by the department, officers can get a live location of the vehicle, leading to an apprehension rate that has increased to 80%.

When it comes down to it, we work for our community. With their buy-in, [we’re] making our community a lot safer.”

The Orlando Connect program is another example of combining technology with community policing, as citizens enrolled in the program can either allow OPD to access security cameras at their residence or business, or send the camera link to OPD. The footage has assisted in apprehending criminals locally, particularly with shootings and murder cases.

“One of the biggest changes you’re seeing in police work is the combination and the cooperation,” Smith says. “When it comes down to it, we work for our community. With their buy-in, [we’re] making our community a lot safer.”

Combining Forces

As police departments across the nation are facing shortages, OPD has shown improvements. In 2023 nearly two-thirds of the department’s previously open positions were filled.

Partnerships with UCF help provide qualified professionals for these roles, including future graduates of the university’s new professional track for criminal justice degrees. These efforts include internship and job fairs, with talk of expanding those experiences to OPD’s forensics and investigations units. In April the OPD Foundation established a $75,000 endowed scholarship to support criminal justice and legal studies students at UCF.

UCF Police Department (UCFPD)’s Emergency Response Team (ERT) regularly trains with several other Central Florida ERTs — including OPD — and can be called to assist other agencies for events in their jurisdictions. OPD officers are often utilized during football games and other events on campus that are likely to draw large crowds. UCFPD also assisted OPD with the Olympic marathon trials in downtown Orlando this past February, where UCF’s bicycle officers were present.

“It’s been a really strong partnership,” says UCFPD Chief Carl Metzger ’03MS. “We help each other out whenever we can.”

A key part of this partnership is working together for crime prevention. When catalytic converter theft increased in Central Florida in 2022, UCF collaborated with OPD to use campus cameras to find suspects. And at UCF Downtown, cameras and license plate readers provide key information to help stop crimes.

“We’ll change with the trends [and], as law enforcement changes, we’re going to work within the parameters and keep our community as safe as possible,” Smith says.