Main Responsibilities Of A Police Officer At UCLA Police Department
London's role as a UCLA Police Department Community Engagement Officer focuses on building relationships with the campus and surrounding community, often foregoing a uniform to foster informal conversations and address concerns. This approach, described as changing "the culture from within," aims to build trust by being approachable, honest, and collaborative in problem-solving, prioritizing community input to achieve shared goals.
Community Engagement, Public Relations, Training and Education, Problem-Solving, Conflict Resolution
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
London McBride
Police Officer
UCLA Police Department
Utah State University 99'
Southern New Hampshire University; MS-Organizational Leadership
Anthropology, Sociology
Government & Public Sector
Legal
Scholarship Recipient, Took Out Loans, Greek Life Member, Student Athlete
Video Highlights
1. Community Engagement: London focuses on building relationships with students, staff, faculty, and the broader community. This involves proactive conversations and addressing community needs.
2. Positive Representation: London aims to shift public perception of law enforcement by interacting with the community in a non-traditional uniform, fostering open dialogue, and demonstrating approachability.
3. Training and Collaboration: A significant part of London's role involves conducting safety and security trainings, allowing for direct engagement with community members, collaborative problem-solving, and building trust through shared input and goal-setting.
Transcript
What are some of the main responsibilities within your current role?
My role as a community engagement officer is to build community with students, staff, faculty, and the outside community within Los Angeles, where UCLA is located. It's a great role, and I love it because I don't traditionally wear a uniform.
I go out into the public, and people don't know who I am. I spark up conversations with folks to figure out where they are and what they need. When they find out I'm a police officer, they're often shocked. They'll say, "Wow, I just had a conversation with a cool police officer."
I think that's what we've always strived to do here at UCLA: have a connection with our campus community. Especially with everything going on regarding law enforcement, it's good to change the culture from within and help people see us in a more positive light. That's been one of the blessings of being here.
I love to talk and hang out with people, so it's been really cool to have these conversations. I let people ask me whatever they want, even the tough questions people tend to shy away from. I'm able to be honest and upfront and find out how I can help, and how we as a department can help our community thrive, because ultimately that's all we really want to do.
I also do a lot of training in my role. People call me to do different types of trainings, whether it's safety or security. That's how you really get to meet people, by meeting them where they are and talking about their concerns. You get to figure out these problems together.
I think that's the way to build a real, trusting community: take input from everyone, find a common goal, and then move in that direction together. It's been a blast, and that's pretty much my day-to-day. I joke with people who ask about my schedule, saying they make my schedule. Just give me a call, and my world will stop for you.