Police Captain

University of Miami•Coral Gables, FL

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Police Captain is a senior executive leader responsible for assisting the Chief of Police in the planning, direction, and administration of all departmental operations. This position provides strategic leadership, policy development, and operational oversight to ensure effective law enforcement services, campus safety, and organizational integrity. The Police Captain acts on behalf of the Chief of Police as assigned and represents the department with university leadership, the City of Coral Gables, campus stakeholders, community groups, and local, state, and federal law enforcement partners. This role supports collaboration, community engagement, and continuous organizational improvement. This position reports directly to the Chief of Police and works under limited supervision. The Police Captain is classified as an exempt, full‑time position and must be available on a 24/7 on‑call basis, including responding to the university as needed to oversee police operations.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in criminology, criminal justice, public administration or related field.
Valid State of Florida Drivers’ License required or the ability to obtain upon hiring.
Current FDLE certification as a law enforcement officer, required.
Eight (8) years of progressively responsible professional experience, including supervisory and administrative command‑level responsibility.
Demonstrated experience in emergency preparedness and strong knowledge of effective police patrol operations, community policing practices, physical security, traffic control, criminal investigations, and crime prevention strategies.
Experience in budget development and fiscal management within organizational or departmental settings.
An understanding of how today’s police departments operate and how they are effectively managed and led.
Ability to work under pressure and react quickly to and manage a variety of emergency situations, strong leadership and crisis management skills.
Ability to plan, schedule, direct, and review the work of subordinates in a manner conducive to full performance and high morale.
Ability to prepare and direct preparation of comprehensive reports, budgets, correspondence, and programs of police service.
Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with university leadership, university divisions, employees, public officials, other law enforcement agencies, City departments and leaders, and the public.
Ability to plan, formulate, and execute policies and programs.
Ability to identify, analyze and improve the efficiency of departmental operations.
Ability to communicate clearly and concisely, verbally and in writing to groups and individuals.

Nice To Haves

Master’s Degree in relevant field preferred.
Graduate of the FBI National Academy, Southern Police Institute, or substantially equivalent, nationally recognized command officers’ course, preferred.

Responsibilities

Assists the Chief of Police in developing the departmental direction, priorities, goals and objectives to meet university, department, and community needs.
Acts as second-in-command for the police department and assumes leadership in the Chief's absence.
Provide professional advice on issues to the Chief of Police, Vice President, Facilities Operations & Planning and other key university leadership as required.
Prepare a variety of special reports and comprehensive studies as requested by the Chief of Police.
Responsible for integration of the department's vision, organizational values and mission into the daily operation of the University of Miami Police department and the delivery of police services.
Reviews and prepares department policies and operating procedures and makes recommendations for improvements.
Accountable for applying modern law enforcement concepts and systems designed to enhance public safety.
Works closely with the Police Administrative Director to support budget management and ensure compliance with the Jeanne Clery Act, including the preparation and disclosure of crime statistics through the Annual Security Report.
Makes personnel assignments and ensures staffing requirements are in accordance with the Department’s operational needs.
Plans, coordinates, and deploys personnel and resources to support planned special events on campus, ensuring appropriate staffing, operational coverage, and interagency coordination.
Serves as the primary point of contact with the Office of Emergency Management, coordinating preparedness, response, and recovery efforts.
May assume Incident Commander responsibilities during critical incidents on campus, operating within the Incident Command System (ICS) and working collaboratively through a Unified Command structure, as appropriate.
Inspect operations under command at regular intervals.
Identifies and addresses organizational conditions that may contribute to misconduct, liability, or inefficiency; immediately notifies Chief of Police of the organization’s conditions that may impact overall operations of the department.
Provides guidance to mid‑management supervisors and ensures the Chief of Police receives timely and accurate critical incident notification updates.
Provides administrative support and guidance to advance recruitment, hiring, and career development processes.
Serves as liaison between the Police Department and other University departments, initiates and coordinates relations with campus groups.
Serves as the main point of contact between the Police Department and the Dean of Student’s Office and serves as member of the Student Assessment Committee.
Serves as the main point of contact between the Police Department and the university’s Titel IX Coordinator.
Develops and delivers instructional training and presentations to department personnel, members of the broader University community, and external law enforcement partners.
Performs other duties as assigned by the Chief of Police

Benefits

The University of Miami is recognized as one of the nation’s premier research institutions and academic health systems and is among the largest employers in South Florida.
We are dedicated to fostering a culture where every individual feels valued and empowered to contribute meaningfully.
United by shared values, the University community works together to build an environment defined by purpose, collaboration, and service.
The University of Miami is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
Applicants and employees are protected from discrimination based on certain categories protected by Federal law.
The mission of the University of Miami is to transform lives through education, research, innovation, and service.
A vibrant and diverse academic and healthcare community, the University of Miami and the University of Miami Health System ("UHealth") have rapidly progressed to become one of the nation’s top research universities and academic medical centers in the nation.
The University comprises 12 schools and colleges serving undergraduate and graduate students in more than 350 majors and programs.
The University ranks No. 55 on U.S. News & World Report’s 2022 Best Colleges list and ranked No. 49 in the 2022 Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education College Rankings.
Bascom Palmer Eye Institute is ranked the #1 eye hospital in the USA and offers some of the nation's premiere eye doctors to treat every eye condition for adults.
Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer, part of the Miller School of Medicine, received the prestigious National Cancer Institute designation in 2019.
The University of Miami and UHealth have also ranked among the Forbes Best Employers and Best Employers for Women on several occasions, most recently in 2022.