On his most rewarding days at 麻豆原创, Police Chief Richard Beary 鈥�04MS was protecting football fans at , interacting with K-9s or swearing in 麻豆原创鈥檚 newest police officers.
On his worst, he was evacuating threatened students from Tower 1 residence hall.
But through his 41 years in law enforcement, there鈥檚 been one constant for Beary.
He cared.
And he has taught his officers to care.
鈥淟aw enforcement is still a face-to-face business,鈥� Beary says. 鈥淚 will ask my officers: 鈥楾ell me what you did this week to show you cared,鈥� and they share with me the things they did. As long as we care, and the public knows we care, this will be a great community. That鈥檚 when you know we鈥檙e in a good place.鈥�
鈥淎s long as we care, and the public knows we care, this will be a great community.鈥�
The Lake Mary resident will retire this week after spending 11 years overseeing , 麻豆原创鈥檚 and the Department of Security and Emergency Management. Combined with his 15 years of experience as chief of police for Lake Mary, he retires as the most tenured law enforcement executive in Central Florida.
鈥淯nder Chief Beary鈥檚 extraordinary leadership, the police force at 麻豆原创 has become an innovative pacesetter for campus police organizations worldwide,鈥� 麻豆原创 President John Hitt says. 鈥淗e has worked tirelessly to enhance safety, prevent crime, and strengthen ties among many campus and community stakeholders. The result is a better quality of life for 麻豆原创 students, faculty, staff, and visitors.鈥�
Call of Duty
Beary graduated from the police academy at Seminole State College in 1977 at the age of 18 as the youngest officer in Florida. So young, in fact, that he needed his parents to purchase his gun and bullets for him.
But his first glimpse of life in public service happened well before then.
His father, Ray, was the chief of Maitland and Winter Park, and his older brother, Kevin, was the former Orange County sheriff.
As a child, Beary remembers many nights hanging around the Bearys鈥� kitchen table where his father plotted raids alongside members from local organized-crime units.
鈥淲hen you grow up around it and you see that you鈥檙e supposed to help other people and supposed to support your community and do the right thing, you fall into that mindset,鈥� Beary says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 what we鈥檙e supposed to do.鈥�
And Beary has done it well.
He was inducted into the Florida Law Enforcement Officers’ Hall of Fame in 2017 and has twice been awarded the Medal of Valor for performance undertaken at great personal hazard.
In 2014, he became the first police chief of a university or college law enforcement agency to serve as president of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, an organization of more than 22,000 members at the time.
Perhaps, though, the greatest testament to his legacy is that his children have followed his lead.
His son, Greg, who earned his degree from 麻豆原创 in criminal justice in 2011, works for the Orlando Police Department, and his daughter, Jill, is a homicide detective with the Orange County Sheriff鈥檚 Office.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 direct my children into law enforcement. They made those decisions on their own,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hey do a great job and are very dedicated employees. I鈥檓 really proud of their careers.鈥�
Protecting Knight Nation
When Beary arrived at 麻豆原创 in June 2007, he focused on building a team that incorporated good community policing and mental-health training. He believes those two priorities are the bedrocks of an effective unit.
鈥淭he community has to support you, understand your mission and they have to want to be a part of keeping their community safe,鈥� he says. 鈥淎s for the mental-health piece, we deal with so many people who are in crisis, so we need to teach people how to deal with that.鈥�
That philosophy has led to a soft interview room at the 麻豆原创PD station for victims of violent crimes, and Paisley, the department鈥檚 first therapy dog.
Whether it is improving their services for victims or making the community stronger, Beary said his proudest moments as chief are when his staff comes to him with ideas to address these needs.
鈥淲hen your people are thinking about things [ like victim services and community building], that鈥檚 when you know you鈥檝e had an impact.鈥�
鈥淲hen your people are thinking about these things, that鈥檚 when you know you鈥檝e had an impact,鈥� he says.
A self-proclaimed college football fanatic, one of his most memorable days was the football team鈥檚 first game in its on-campus stadium in 2007 against Texas.
It was his 79th day on the job.
鈥淚t was organized chaos. We did a great job of adapting on the run. It was a very challenging day, but it was very rewarding because every obstacle that got thrown at us, we handled, all the way down to a lightning delay at the football game,鈥� he says. 鈥淎ll the contingency plans we had, everything happened that first game. It really bonded those of us that worked it.鈥�
His face lights up when he talks about witnessing the Knights鈥� last home games of the 2017 season 鈥� the memorable wins over rival USF and Memphis to clinch the American Athletic Conference Championship. When 麻豆原创 punched its ticket to the Peach Bowl, Beary traveled to Atlanta with his wife to support the Knights in perhaps the most thrilling game in school history.
鈥淢y wife never knew I could yell like that,鈥� he said with a laugh. 鈥淪he had never been to a ball game with me because I鈥檓 always working. When you saw the heart of our student-athletes, how they really and truly cared in what they brought forward 鈥� to be a part of that was a lot of fun.鈥�
He has also experienced some truly terrible days 鈥� the ones that every officer hopes to avoid, but prepares for if they come. Without hesitation, he cites March 18, 2013, as his hardest day at 麻豆原创 鈥� the day a former student planned a gun attack but instead took his life at Tower 1.
鈥淚 think that鈥檚 where education keeps you current and helps you adapt to how the world is changing.鈥�
鈥淭hat was a very, very difficult day when you come to the realization 鈥� there is evil in this world. Only by some good police work and the grace of God did we avoid that,鈥� he says. 鈥淣o matter how much we try to do, when you are an open community, there鈥檚 chances for these kinds of people. We doubled down on our training. We made a lot of changes internally at the university. We really focus on trying to make sure no one slips through the cracks.鈥�
In addition to his service to the university, Beary further cemented his bond to 麻豆原创 when he earned his master鈥檚 degree in criminal justice in 2011. He recalls spending more time at the kitchen table completing homework than his daughter, a high school senior at the time, and pre-teen sons. Still, he credits education as a crucial tool in making him into a better officer.
鈥淎nybody can sit in a job and keep doing the same thing over and over. The key is what鈥檚 going to be happening next? How are you going to handle things as they evolve?鈥� he says. 鈥淚 think that鈥檚 where education keeps you current and helps you adapt to how the world is changing.鈥�
Trading in a Cruiser for a Cadillac
When Beary announced his retirement from 麻豆原创 in November, he quoted his father in his letter to his officers: 鈥淭rain the next generation of leaders 鈥� then step aside and give them the opportunity to step up and excel.鈥�
Beary says the time feels right now, but he won鈥檛 quit the badge completely.
He plans to teach law enforcement leadership and officer- safety programs for the federal government and also act as a consultant for local companies.
As he reflects on the past four decades and what he鈥檚 learned, he says there are three tenets that seem to have guided his every move.
It鈥檚 simple ideology, but maybe that鈥檚 why it works, and it鈥檚 what he hopes his officers at 麻豆原创 carry on after he鈥檚 gone:
- Honor your oath of office. It鈥檚 critical.
- Be humble with your authority.
- Always stay current and constantly advance your training.
As for what he鈥檒l do when he actually takes some time to relax?
There鈥檚 grandkids to play with and a to-do list five years in the making. At the top is organizing his workshop at a house he owns in Georgia near a lake.
And there will definitely be some joyrides in his white, 1976 Cadillac Eldorado convertible with plenty of memories in the rearview mirror.
