No two shifts are the same for Michael Procopio, a senior officer at the Austin Police Department. One moment, he may be checking his emails, and the next, he’s responding to a call in a car with sirens that wail through the streets.
Procopio has worked at APD for 13 years. He has seen changes in his department, including seeing the University of Texas Police Department expand patrol into West Campus, increasing the collaboration between the two. The major differences between the departments are the types of calls they receive, although their responses and investigative practices are similar. The departments cover UT campus and surrounding resident areas where they interact with students each day.
The Baker section of APD, which Procopio serves, surrounds UT campus, including the Drag and parts of North and West Campus. UTPD handles on-campus calls and incidents.
In September, UTPD’s budget increased by $7 million to boost pay for its 117 sworn officers.
“Investment in public safety is extremely important to hire the best and brightest,” UTPD assistant chief Jeremy Benoit said. “To be competitive, that ($7 million) went into our salaries for officers. … It’s extremely important to the president to ensure that all the people that we’re hiring and training are to keep them employed here and that they see a future here.”
Before joining UTPD, Benoit served with APD, helped establish CapMetro police and served within the Hays County Sheriff’s Office. Now, he’s worked for UTPD for about a year and three months, overseeing the department’s operations.
“(Students) are our future,” Benoit said. “All of our students are the future of what this world is going to look like, and if they can understand that it takes a community for all of us to become who we need to become, … that starts here.”
Benoit estimated that about half the officers from UTPD come from other police departments, including APD, while the other half come from the UTPD academy.
Benoit said most calls UTPD receives are related to collisions, criminal trespassing and hospital emergency detention orders.
Similarly, APD receives most of its calls for the related topics, Procopio said.
“I believe both agencies are focused on building relationships with the communities that they serve,” Benoit said. “I think a big difference is the difference in calls for service. There’s much more violent crime in the city of Austin.”
Benoit estimated UTPD receives an equal amount of calls off campus and on campus. He said on-campus calls tend to involve bike theft, retail theft and trespassing. In West Campus, calls are more related to traffic congestion, traffic accidents, homelessness and trespassing.
When a student calls 911, the call is routed to the appropriate police department based on the location and circumstance of the emergency, according to Benoit.
Sami Haque, civil engineering senior and Muslim Student Association president, contacted UTPD this year when MSA members felt uncomfortable when an individual began to record their freshman picnic at the Turtle Pond.
“I helped my community,” Haque said. “As long as my community’s doing good, I feel happy with my decision.”
Haque said two or three squad cars arrived within 10 minutes, and that his interaction between the officers was brief and respectful.
Benoit said UTPD officers also monitor the APD radio channel to identify incidents where they can offer support.
“That’s a lot of times how we catch some of the incidents taking place over in West Campus,” Benoit said.
UTPD expanded patrol into West Campus in August 2025 to increase student safety and support. The department added a permanent patrol unit of 24 officers for additional oversight and coverage of student housing.
“We do a great job of collaborating with (APD) to make sure we get to the call very (quickly),” Benoit said.
UTPD was established as a police agency in 1967, following the 1966 UT Tower shooting. Senate Bill 162 authorizes Texas state colleges and universities to employ and commission their own security personnel as peace officers.
UTPD also provides security and law enforcement for special events on campus, like gatherings for student organizations and football games, which creates a huge influx of calls for service, Benoit said.
APD can also work UT events for overtime pay through the department’s special events unit, Procopio said. Procopio said he could respond to anything from turtles crossing the road to assaults.
“You have to make split-second decisions, (and) what decision you make could impact your life (and) someone else’s life,” Procopio said. “It’s very hard to describe (that feeling).”
Procopio, who has been in APD for 13 years, said staffing shortages and officer retention are some of the biggest challenges the department faces.
Procopio said that APD has been withdrawing DWI units, motorcycle patrols and public park patrols since 2020. But he said there are still motorcycle cops for funerals, special events and important figures.
Procopio said 2025 was the first year since 2020 that APD was able to hire more officers than they lost.
“It’s so hard to catch up now,” Procopio said. “We have the promotion exam, people promote and then people retire, and then you have young officers, but it’s just hard to keep up.”
Beyond enforcement responsibilities, both departments have introduced programs to strengthen their relationships with the community. Some UTPD officers meet with students in Kinsolving Dining during breakfast, lunch and dinner, according to Benoit. Procopio said APD has similar events, such as Coffee with a Cop.
“It’s important for our students to remember it takes a village,” Benoit said. “It’s a partnership between what they see day to day and what we can do to assist them. (They can) really help us understand when there’s something going on on campus or West Campus.”
Procopio encourages students to be aware of their surroundings and to seek help when they need it. It can be intimidating to have encounters with the police because it may be a student’s first time being involved in a police incident or interacting with officers, Benoit said.
“I always tell people if you’re debating whether to call 911, you should probably call,” Procopio said. “A lot of times people are like, ‘Well, I wasn’t sure if I should call, I’m sorry to bother you,’ but you’re literally not bothering us. That’s why we’re here. We’re here to help.”
