UT consolidated safety resources in a new unit under President Jim Davis, according to a Tuesday email from the Office of the President. UT also created the Executive Director of University Safety, a newly established role to lead the unit.

According to the email, the unit draws from the UT Police Department, the Office of Emergency Management, West Campus Ambassadors and a “new public safety strategy team.” It will be a responsibility of the interim director to determine what this team looks like. While these units already work together to a certain extent, the new unit aims to bring them under a single structure.

“Keeping Longhorns safe is our top priority,” Davis wrote in the email. “As the world shifts and evolves, campus safety needs become broader and more complex.” 

The Office of Emergency Management is the primary liaison between outside emergency management agencies at UT, according to the website. Its program was created to save lives, reduce the effects of disasters and protect property. 

UT established the West Campus Ambassadors program in 2023 to revitalize the West Campus area. The program is composed of Safety Ambassadors, who share safety resources, escort West Campus residents at night and work with law enforcement, and Cleaning Ambassadors, who provide daily cleaning services, according to the website. 

The new unit also comes months after UTPD announced the creation of the West Campus Patrol District, wherein UTPD and Austin Police Department officers coordinate to increase patrols in West Campus.

Davis appointed Jay Swann, who served in the Austin Police Department for more than 20 years, to be the interim director, who will advise Davis as part of the University’s leadership cabinet, according to the email. 

“Jay’s history of exceptional service and leadership will be critical as we build this unit for the future,” Davis wrote. 

The University is recruiting for a permanent director, according to the email. 

Joell McNew, president of Safehorns, a group of UT parents and community members advocating for campus safety, said they were thrilled with the announcement.

“We’ve got to educate everyone in our community to work together,” McNew said. “We’re working together to create a culture of prioritizing students’ health and safety.”