UPD Chief Garza retires
University Chief of Police Felipe Garza has retired after almost 12 years of service at the university.
Texas A&M University – Kingsville (TAMUK) hosted a celebration Feb. 28 to congratulate Chief Garza on his retirement.
The event started off with speeches given by Vice President of Institutional Advancement and External Relationships Brad Walker as well the Director of Student Health and Wellness Jo Elda Castillo-Alaniz and Vice President for Finance and Chief Financial Officer Jacob Flournoy.
All three shared anecdotes of their favorite memories with Chief Garza and wished him the best on the next chapter of his life. Shortly afterward, Chief Garza was presented with a certificate and closed the event by giving a speech about what it meant to work at the university as Chief of Police.
Garza began working for the university in April 2010. Before that, he was Chief of Police at Texas A&M International University in Laredo for nine years. Before that, he had worked for the City of Kingsville for 25 years. He said his retirement had been in the works.
“Actually, I had wanted to retire about this time last year, but with the pandemic going on, I was asked to stay another six months, so I did,” Garza said. “Then, after that, I was asked to stay a little longer, so I said, ‘well, six more months. This time really, I mean six more months,’ so this is it today.”
Garza explained the University Police Department (UPD) was in need of changes when he first arrived. Over the years, Garza has managed to transform UPD into a place that is more suitable for students, faculty and staff at the university, he said.
“It was my goal to hire experienced officers that we didn’t need to train from the ground up and come in with experience so that they know how to handle things,” Garza said. “That’s what police officers are for the most part, they’re problem solvers. So, when somebody has a problem, we know how to help them in one aspect or another.”
Garza’s efforts did not go unnoticed. His co-workers say Garza went out of his way to make sure everyone was safe. Chief of Police for the Kingsville Police Department Ricardo Torres said he has worked with Garza for a while and his goals have been to always keep the students and faculty safe.
“I think he’s going to be sorely missed because of all the changes he made when he was here. He had to in order to progress the police department here and it happened. He’s made a more professional department overall. He made changes that really helped the university grow. So yeah, he will be sorely missed when he leaves,” Kingsville Police Department Bureau Commander Julian Cavazos Jr. said.
Garza plans to travel the world with his wife.
Interview’s for Garza’s replacement are underway.