Story: Lisa Sollie | Photo: Cody Ingram
Just a few years ago, 25-year-old Kyle Lloyd was a student strolling through a rural campus much like the University of West Alabama. Now, fresh from the police academy, the Baltimore native is back at college—this time in uniform, as one of UWA’s newest police officers.
According to UWA Police Chief Josette White, Lloyd is the first university-sponsored recruit to graduate from the police academy since Garland Partridge over two decades ago. Another recent hire, Jeremy Brown, is scheduled to begin his academy training in August. Sponsoring new officers reflects the University’s commitment to safety.
Lloyd earned a degree in criminal justice and pre-law from Emanuel University in Franklin Springs, Georgia, where he met his girlfriend, Julia. While he was finishing his undergraduate studies, she chose to pursue her master’s degree in business administration at UWA. A job opening with the UWA Police Department and her move to Alabama made UWA a natural next step for Lloyd.
Chief White says she hopes Lloyd’s graduation from the academy and Brown’s in the future will help the campus community better understand the role and reach of the university’s law enforcement agency.
“Officers serving on our campus are trained and licensed to do anything any other police officer can do,” she says. “Our department also includes security guards responsible for checking parking decals on campus. However, our security guards aren’t certified, haven’t gone through the academy, and don’t carry firearms.”
White’s guiding philosophy —to treat people like you want to be treated—has shaped her career and is an expectation she sets for the UWA Police Department.
Lloyd shares that mindset. He says building community relationships is what he enjoys most about his new role—something he believes is key to preventing crime.
Whether interacting with UWA students, whom he relates to “because I was in their shoes not too long ago,” or building trust with students at the University Charter School, Lloyd sees value in every connection.
“When I’m out patrolling campus, I want people to see that we’re relatable, that we’ll treat them right, and that we’re the good guys,” he says. “If the kids, especially, see us doing positive things and know we’re here to help as they grow up, then we’re doing what we need to do.”
Chief White emphasizes that the department builds its approach on communication and accountability, not enforcement alone.
“I prefer our officers talk things out with students who may have made a mistake and work through the situation, as opposed to immediately going through the court system,” she says. “We want what’s best for our students, and we’ll do what we need to do to work with them, within reason.”
The department also offers a variety of training programs for student groups and UWA personnel who request them. In recent years, UWA Police has hosted self-defense classes, tire change clinics, and impaired driver simulations.
Officers also assist with everyday issues. “We unlock cars and provide jump-starts when a battery dies,” White says. “Students just need to sign a waiver.”
The Student Night Auxiliary Patrol (SNAP) program offers golf cart escorts for students across campus for added safety at night. If SNAP isn’t operational, students can request an officer escort instead.
Training and Safety are Top Priorities
Safety remains Chief White’s top priority, and she often compares the phrase “it takes a village” to the principle of campus safety. “It requires the collective awareness and vigilance of the entire community to ensure a safe environment. Everyone’s involvement is crucial in recognizing and reporting suspicious activity,” White emphasizes.
To maintain this standard, she ensures each officer completes at least 12 hours of training annually, most exceeding that requirement. In addition, White undergoes a minimum of 25 hours of leadership training every year.
“We also host in-house training on campus and invite other departments, like Livingston Police and the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office, to participate,” she adds.
One of White’s next goals is to organize a full-scale active shooter simulation involving students, faculty, staff, and local emergency responders. “I want us to come together for a realistic drill that tests our response time, exposes any gaps, and helps us all improve before something real happens,” she says.
Supporting White in maintaining campus safety is a dedicated team that includes six full-time patrol officers, two part-time officers, two security officers, seven dispatchers (three full-time), and two school resource officers.
Eyes on the Future
Lloyd and his fellow patrol officers balance most of their time between monitoring traffic, deterring speeding, securing buildings, and patrolling the campus’s six sectors to prevent vandalism and other incidents.
When asked what he wants others to understand about his chosen career, Lloyd doesn’t hesitate.
“This job doesn’t get a lot of thanks, and it is one that most people won’t do,” he says. “It takes a special kind of person to go through our training, then step into a community you may not be familiar with, committing to protect and serve people you’re just getting to know. It’s a calling.”
Looking ahead, Lloyd hopes to build new skills, especially in investigations.
“That’s an area I’d like to grow in, he states. “Cheree Dent is our investigator now. Many of our calls involve incidents that happen after the fact. I want to learn how to investigate crimes properly. I believe that would be a very valuable skill going forward.”
Another area of interest for Lloyd is mental health response.
“We had a few days of mental health training at the academy,” he recalls. “And I think more will be beneficial for all of us.”
As he gets settled into his new role, Lloyd is especially grateful for the support of his family back in Baltimore.
“Moving away for college in Georgia and even farther to Alabama has been tough on them. I know they worry about me,” he says. “But they also know I’m capable of doing my job correctly. They’re proud of me, and that means everything.”