ORLANDO, Fla. — In 2020, only about 4% of police chiefs across the U.S. were women, and now UCF has joined that percentage by naming Robin Griffin-Kitzerow as the new police chief at the University of Central Florida, making her the first woman to hold this position at one of the largest universities in the country.
Griffin-Kitzerow, who joined UCF Police in 2022, has decades of experience in campus policing and threat assessment. Her appointment is a major milestone, as she is also the first ‘Dr. Chief,’ having recently earned a doctorate in Forensic Psychology. Griffin Kitzerow began her law enforcement career in 1987.
“As a researcher, I’m looking at the statistical data,” Griffin-Kitzerow said. “These are the types of crimes that we really need to be looking at, like stalking, like dating violence.”
Griffin-Kitzerow’s focus as chief is on maintaining a legacy of safety while introducing a new level of data-driven, student-centered leadership. Her proactive approach to campus safety involves early intervention and identifying students who may be struggling based on past behaviors and patterns.
She explained her method of leveraging data to anticipate issues, noting that mental health cases tend to rise as students face academic challenges during the fall semester. “We look at data and we leverage what typically happens over time,” she said.
With a clear vision and a researcher’s mindset, Griffin-Kitzerow strives to uphold UCF’s reputation and enhance the department’s ability to ensure campus safety.
“So, we know that when students move in in the fall, they’re filled with excitement... but they’re not doing well academically by September and October. We see our mental health cases start to rise, so we can anticipate these things.”
With a clear vision and a researcher’s mindset, she aims to preserve UCF’s reputation and advance the department.
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