February 2007

Spotlight on Staff: Dolores Stafford

UPD Chief of Police Dolores Stafford has been working in law enforcement for the past 24 years.

By Zak M. Salih

For University Police Department (UPD) Chief of Police Dolores Stafford, the path to a career in law enforcement began at age five when her uncle, a sheriff, took her for a ride in his police car. “I was hooked,” recalls the Pennsylvania native.

In 1992, after working as an officer and sergeant at Bucknell University and assistant chief at Butler University, Stafford came to UPD as a senior associate director. When the chief left his post six months afterward, Stafford was named acting director and, months later, officially became chief of police. Last November, UPD received accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, a distinction shared by less than one percent of all nationwide college and university law enforcement services.

Q: How does it feel to have recently received accreditation?

A: It’s been great for morale in the department. The officers and staff feel good about the fact that we are maintaining our commitment to abiding by national standards.

Q: How is UPD different from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD)?

A: We deal with most of the same problems, but our communities are different. It’s a transient community here; every four years our student community turns over for the most part, so we can’t rest on our laurels in terms of things like teaching people about crime prevention and safety. Because we patrol through all buildings on campus, we have a huge advantage over MPD in terms of operating under a community policing philosophy. Since MPD does not patrol office buildings and houses, they can’t get to know the people in their community as readily as we can. We’re in a great position, because we’re enmeshed in the fabric of the
campus; oftentimes we’re helping people with things that have very
little to do with safety and security. We’re providing services above and beyond those functions.

Q: What’s the toughest thing about being chief of police?

A: The toughest part is probably managing staff. With the escort service and our police and security staff, we have 161 full-time employees. There’s a chain of command and making sure that everyone in that chain of command understands the philosophy and the mission is important. If we’re going to move the ship, everyone has to be rowing in the same direction. In addition, nowhere in the country has more competition in terms of hiring qualified security and law enforcement professionals than in the D.C. area, and recruitment remains one of our biggest challenges.

Q: What attracted you to this position?

A: The department was really primed for change and growth. The expectations of what a department could and would do for a campus were different than today, and that really intrigued me. I thought when I interviewed for the job that it probably would be challenging, and it has been. Fifteen years later, I am still being challenged.

Q: Be honest: Do you watch TV shows about cops?

A: I do. I’m particularly fond of Law & Order: SVU. I was a big NYPD Blue fan. I don’t actually watch COPS that often; you have to be in the mood for COPS. I love The West Wing and The Sopranos, too—which have nothing to do with cops.

Q: You’ve been in law enforcement for the past 24 years. If you weren’t here, what would you be doing?

A: I’d probably want to own my own business. Whatever line of work I was in, it would have to be fast paced. I don’t like to be bored.

Q: What’s the last song that got stuck in your head?

A: I can’t remember, but it was probably disco. I’m a disco nut. I enjoy dancing, and I enjoy ’80s music.

Q: Name one thing, other than law enforcement, you are passionate about.

A: I’m a huge 49ers fan. I’m one of those freaky people who believes what I wear might affect the outcome of the game. I’ve been a 49ers fan since 1979, when they drafted Joe Montana. It’s important to note that I went with the 49ers before they ever won a Super Bowl; I wasn’t a bandwagon fan.

Send feedback to: bygeorge@gwu.edu