Southwestern University police chief Deborah Brown has been honored by her peers as the top university police chief in Texas.

Brown received the 2014 Bill G. Daniels Outstanding Police Administrator award from the Texas Association of College and University Police Administrators. The award was presented at the association’s 50th annual conference, which was held in Corpus Christi June 1-4. TACUPA includes representatives from about 60 college and university police departments in Texas. The award is named after the organization’s first president.

Brown has been chief of police at Southwestern since 1995. She joined the department in 1994 after serving as police chief at East Texas Baptist University. She currently oversees a department that includes six full-time officers and 20 part-time officers.

Brown was nominated for the award by President Edward Burger and Jerry Brody, vice president for student life.

“Serving as a university police chief is a complex challenge, requiring excellent administrative skills, dedication, leadership skills, diplomacy, public relations ability, compassion, professional competence and strong interpersonal skills,” Brody said. “Chief Brown has all these and more.”

Because of Brown’s work, Brody said the Southwestern University Police Department has an outstanding image and is known for its exemplary performance. The College Prowler has given Southwestern an A+ ranking for Health and Safety, putting it in the top five percent of schools in the country.

“Chief Brown and her team do a magnificent job balancing their enforcement responsibilities with their desire to have a positive impact on our students,” Brody said. While their primary goal is the safety and well-being of our students, they are always looking for opportunities to educate. No matter the setting – whether it be leading a seminar, participating in a student forum, or in a one-on-one situation – their objective is always to teach students to make responsible choices.”

Jay Tillerson, the immediate past president of TACUPA, said Brown was selected for the award because of her leadership, vision and innovation. Tillerson said Brown has demonstrated outstanding leadership not only in the law enforcement profession, but also as a member of TACUPA.