April 14, 2005

	Police Chief Bob Wilson joined UH in 2001. Photo by Mark Lacy

After almost five decades of serving the public as a law enforcement officer, University of Houston Police Chief Bob Wilson will remove his badge and settle into a life of peace and quiet.

“I love this university and what I do here, but after 47 years as a police officer, I am looking forward to rocking in my rocking chair when I’m not riding my motorcycle in the mountains,” Wilson said.

Wilson will retire from his position as UH assistant vice president for public safety and police chief and UH System (UHS) assistant vice chancellor of public safety on May 8. Malcolm Davis, a captain with the UH Department of Public Safety (UHDPS), will become the new police chief. Friends and colleagues can visit with Wilson during a reception in his honor from 2 - 4 p.m. Wednesday, April 27, in the Shamrock Room of the Hilton University of Houston Hotel.

“Malcolm is a class act,” Wilson said of his sucessor. “He’s been at UH for a long time and is very familiar with the campus. He’s a principled guy and will lead the department in a very positive way.”

Wilson became the UH Police Chief in 2001. When he was invited to campus, he wasn’t interested in leaving his home in Utah, but coming to Houston may have saved his life.

After being persuaded to tour UH, Wilson was asked to undergo a physical examination. Jim Gray, the UH Health Center’s chief physician, examined Wilson and then informed him that he had a heart problem. Wilson didn’t believe the news, but an electrocardiogram proved that Gray was right. Wilson returned to Utah, and his personal physician concurred that Wilson’s heart was not providing oxygen to his bloodstream. After undergoing surgery to save his life, Wilson had second thoughts about working at UH and came aboard.

Since arriving at UH, Wilson has worked hard to maximize the police department’s effectiveness as a law enforcement unit. One of his successes has been increasing morale of his officers and decreasing the department’s turnover rates. Under Wilson’s management, turnover has been reduced from as high as 39 percent to only 12 percent.

“I feel good about that,” Wilson said. “It’s important that people want to remain with a department rather then leave.”

Under Wilson’s supervision, the University of Houston Police Department acquired UH’s Fire and Physical Safety Department and Parking Enforcement and created the Security Division to form the UH Department of Public Safety (UHDPS). Other developments Wilson has overseen include the placement of security cameras around campus and the implementation of a budgetary program that has allowed UHPD to save funds for new police vehicles. Wilson also introduced UH to the Security Division concept in which UHDPS hires, trains and supervises security personnel, but their wages are paid by the departments and colleges that request their services. This model of campus security was also adopted by the other UHS universities — UH-Clear Lake, UH-Downtown and UH-Victoria.

He has also been a proponent of the relationship between UHPD and the Cullen College of Engineering. In November, a $1 million National Institute of Justice grant allowed researchers in the college to develop high tech tools for law enforcement vehicles. UHPD is currently testing vehicles – or “smart” cars – equipped with these technologies.

Wilson began his career as a member of the U.S. Army’s military police in 1957. He later worked as a police officer and highway patrol officer in California, an investigator with the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office and a member of the Coast Guard Reserve. Wilson also has served as a police chief at two California community colleges, Washington State University and the University of Utah.

Wilson said that he plans to return to Utah to enjoy the mountain scenery he loves so much, but he’ll return to Houston to touch base with old friends. Although he had initial reservations about visiting Texas’ largest city, he’ll always have a soft spot for both Houston and UH.

“I’ll miss the people here the most,” he said. “This department and this campus have some of the most professional people I have ever worked with and the city is very grounded. I’ve been all over the world, but I’ve never been to a place as diverse as Houston where everyone gets along so well. I’ll miss that.”

Mike Emery
memery@central.uh.edu