After 15 years as Georgetown’s Director of Public Safety, William Tucker stepped down from the position yesterday. During his tenure at DPS, Tucker brought national accreditation to the campus police force, instituted the SafeRides program and computerized all campus crime data.

“During Chief William Tucker’s 15 years at Georgetown, he worked tirelessly to ensure a safe, secure campus and helped build the campus security team into a Nationally Accredited Campus Police Force,” Senior Vice President & Chief Administrative Officer Spiros Dimolitsas said.

“I thank Chief Tucker for his more than 15 years of service and wish him

the very best in his retirement,” University President John J. DeGioia said.

Tucker came to Georgetown in 1988 after serving as the University of Pittsburgh’s Director of Public Safety. He was hired by then-Dean of Student Affairs John J. DeGioia.

During his tenure at Georgetown, Tucker instituted new DPS programs and modernized existing systems. One of his main accomplishments included the establishment of the SafeRides program, a van service which transports students to and from local off-campus locations if they feel it is unsafe to walk home. He also developed a strategy to reduce laptop and bicycle thefts on campus, set up a review board to evaluate the performance of first-year DPS officers and instituted an interdepartmental training program.

His work updating DPS’s technology and services involved the installation of electronic equipment in certain locations to prevent unauthorized entry and closed circuit television cameras to monitor various areas around campus. He also oversaw the organization of DPS’s extensive crime data into a computer database system.

Under his direction, DPS became a nationally accredited police force in 1994, making Georgetown one of the first universities in the country to achieve that recognition. Even today, only 30 other schools nationwide have earned accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc.

During a public hearing held last April during DPS’s reaccredidation review process, Georgetown staff members praised Tucker and the work of his police force (“DPS Praised in Review Process,” THE HOYA, April 30, 2002).

“I have found [DPS Director William L. Tucker] and his staff to be extremely responsive to us,” Director of Athletics Joseph Lang said. “They provide us with good information, take the time to come down and talk to us [when there are security concerns] . We’ve found through the years we’ve had a great working relationship.”

Assistant Dean of Students Jeanne Lord cited Tucker’s “willingness to work harder than almost anyone else to represent Georgetown University” in her positive assessment of DPS’s work.

DPS re-earned its accreditation this past year.

Some DPS officers, however, disagreed with Tucker’s management style. This past October, THE HOYA ran an article citing complaints from a number of DPS employees who felt the management was insensitive to issues of low morale, inadequate training, favoritism and the need for flexible scheduling (“Internal Problems Trouble DPS,” THE HOYA, Oct. 25, 2002).

“[Tucker] likes to micro-manage,” one student guard employee said. “He gives a lot of directives.”

With low pay often cited as a contributing factor to officers’ low morale, Tucker said he petitioned the university for additional funding and that the wages reflected the amount bargained for by the officers’ union.

Other problems surfaced in Sept. 2002, when a number of student guards who worked for DPS over the summer complained about delays and discrepancies in their payment. Student Guard Coordinator Sylvester Jones was replaced later that month.

Tucker earned a bachelor’s degree in law enforcement from American University and a master’s degree in administrative management from the University of Pittsburgh. He served as a captain and subsequently as an inspector in Washington, D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department, working for four years in the Second Precinct, which includes the Georgetown area.

Associate Director for Public Safety Darryl Harrison will become Acting Director April 1. Harrison has been with the department for three and a half years.

No information was available about Tucker’s future plans or when the university plans to hire a new director. Tucker and Harrison did not return phone and e-mail messages for comment placed Friday and Monday.