AUSTIN, Texas — After an extensive national search, The University of Texas at Austin today administered the oath of office to Eve Stephens, the new chief of police and assistant vice president of campus security. Stephens is a transformational law enforcement veteran who rose to numerous leadership ranks with the Austin Police Department (APD). At UT Austin, Chief Stephens will lead more than 100 sworn officers to navigate the evolving security needs of one of the nation’s leading research centers and a campus community of nearly 75,000 students, faculty members, staffers and visitors at the center of a large and thriving city environment.
“As Austin and our University continue to evolve and grow, UT’s highest operational priority will always be ensuring the safety and well-being of our students, faculty and staff members, and University guests,” said UT Austin President Jay Hartzell. “Chief Stephens brings to the role a deep understanding and expertise about our city’s safety and security needs, as well as relationships within APD that can help us deepen our partnership and collective efforts to protect our campus community. I am confident Chief Stephens is the right person to lead this important charge as we continue setting the standard for the next generation of residential universities, where we collectively learn, live and work.”
In nearly 24 years of leadership at APD, Stephens worked her way up from patrol officer in East Austin to serve as detective in the department’s Child Abuse, Internal Affairs and Financial Crimes units. From there, Stephens served as a sergeant over a team in South Central Patrol and moved to lead a unit in APD’s Organized Crime Division shortly after. In 2016, Stephens was hand-picked by the chief of police to serve as staffing lieutenant. In 2019, Stephens was tapped as APD’s Training Academy lieutenant, training 333 cadets in a two-year span and boasting a 100% pass rate for the state peace officer licensing exam. In 2021, she was promoted to commander, providing leadership for more than 110 sworn officers in the North Central Patrol Bureau. Stephens was one of two commanders who provided strategic and tactical leadership for APD SWAT team deployments.
“During the course of a highly competitive national search, Chief Stephens emerged as the most compelling of candidates,” UT System Police Director Michael J. Heidingsfield said. “Her early aspirations to become a leading law enforcement officer are perfectly reflected in her professional and academic accomplishments to date. We are both pleased and proud to welcome Chief Stephens as a member of the University of Texas System Police, and I look forward to working with her.”
Chief Stephens graduated summa cum laude from Sam Houston State University with a B.A. in criminal justice and a minor in Spanish. She earned a Master of Public Safety from the University of Virginia. Stephens is also a graduate of the FBI National Academy and is a certified mental health officer with the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE).
“I am honored and privileged to lead the great men and women of this police force and serve The University of Texas at Austin in the center of this dynamic city,” Stephens said. “My vision for the University of Texas Police Department is that we serve with professionalism, compassion and integrity, do our part to keep our campuses safe and free from fear of crime through evidence-based strategies and community engagement, and collaborate with the public, our partners and University employees and students to provide the safest University experience possible.”
Stephens becomes the sixth chief in the University of Texas Police Department’s history. She succeeds Chief David Carter, who was appointed in 2013 and passed away last year after a prolonged battle with cancer. Assistant Chief Peter Scheets most recently served the department as interim police chief.
UTPD is an accredited state police agency that serves The University of Texas at Austin 24 hours a day, operating on a community-oriented policing philosophy, encouraging greater communication between police and the people they serve.
Learn more about Chief Stephens here.
