Merit Award Winner

The Award for Merit is presented to a campus officer who each day displays professionalism and excellence in performing his/her duties or whose actions and attitude bring credit to the campus law enforcement community.

2020 Merit Award Recipient
Dispatch Supervisor Michelle Garza, University of Texas Arlington Police Department

Upon joining the University of Texas Arlington Police Department in 2016, Michelle Garza brought 25 years of public safety communications experience to revamp and revitalize the police dispatch center, bringing it into compliance and establishing benchmark processes and procedures that have increased agency service delivery to the university. Here are a few of her achievements:

Revamped the telecommunicator training program by:

• Developing a training “team” to standardize training processes for new hires.
• Creating mandatory and regular dispatch and trainer meetings.
• Ensuring three top senior dispatchers obtained their “Master” telecommunicator status.
• Arranging for telecommunicators to attend training/conferences.

Obtained two new Texas Law Enforcement Telecommunications System (TLETS) terminals to ensure more timely returns and validations, and then:

• Ensured biannual training for 150 police and IT personnel with access to agency CJI.
• Created a team “validations” process for TLETS records.
• Successfully passed two CJIS audits and one state audit.

She brought the dispatch center into ADA compliance with TDD/TTY, including:

• Obtaining two free TDD/TTY machines (valued at $500 each)
• Establishing onset and monthly ADA required training.

She consistently assisted in Emergency Management processes by:

• Developing a monthly process for equipment testing and EOC inspections.
• Organizing and maintaining an operable EOC.
• Obtaining approval for four laptops to be maintained in dispatch/EOC in case of emergency.
• Obtaining Federal Outdoor Warning System and the indoor annunciator updates to ensure consistent performance during testing and use.

Because of Michelle’s persistent efforts to improve efficiency and effectiveness, raise morale, and develop career advancement opportunities for telecommunicators in the University of Texas Arlington Police Department, Michelle Garza is presented with the IACLEA Award for Merit.

Past Recipients

2020 - Communications & Emergency Services Operator, Biola University, Campus Safety Department

2019 - Investigations & Clery Compliance Manager, Veronica Baeza, Biola University, Department of Public Safety

2018 - Chief Dale G. Brophy, University of Utah 

2017 - Lieutenant Thomas Calucci, University of Texas-San Antonio 

2016 - Sgt. Jose Alvarez, Officer Mark Mugica, & Sgt. Archibald Mendoza, Biola University

2015 - Sergeant Kevin Gray, The University of Texas Police at Houston

2014 - Officer Jonathan Logan, Alamo Colleges Police Department

2013 - Officers Jennifer Ockerman and Emily Smith, University of Kentucky

2012 - Captain John Adams, University of California Los Angeles

2011 - Officers David Coakley and Adam Koehler of the New York State University at Cortland Police Department

2010 - Officer Matthew Mastrosimone of College of New Jersey Police Department

2009 - Detectives Thomas Bacigalupi and Patricia Millan, George Mason University

2008 - Officer Ronald Guichon, University of Illinois at Chicago

2007 - Officer Yvonne Meyer, Parkland College

2006 - Sergeant Robert J. Vaccaro, North Shore Community College District

2005 -Officer Douglas Boortz, Florida State University

2004 - Officer Richard G. Dohme, University of Nevada – Las Vegas

2003 - Sergeant John Ojeisekhoba, Biola University

2002 - Mr. Brendell Klaasen - University of Stellenbosch

2001 - Sergeant Allison Valles - University of Texas at El Paso

2000 - Sergeant E. Steven Milne of the Utah State University Police Department

1999 - Sergeant Troy Williamson, University of Central Florida Police Department.