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UT Martin public safety director reports staffing gains, training improvements and steady crime rates
Summary
Chief Michael O'Neil, director of public safety at UT Martin, told trustees his department reached full staffing, improved training, and that overall crime rates at the campus remain roughly average for the county; he highlighted goals for modernizing equipment, leveraging technology and addressing parking location issues.
Chief Michael O'Neil, director of public safety at the University of Tennessee at Martin, briefed the Audit and Compliance Committee on the Martin campus's public safety staffing, training and crime trends.
O'Neil described his law-enforcement background and said that when he arrived in August 2023 the department had only three certified officers. He credited the chancellor and campus leadership with supporting a rebuilding effort that achieved full staffing and improved training. "We achieved full staffing. We vastly improved the training," O'Neil said, adding the department now offers some training to other local agencies and works closely with the criminal justice program on campus.
O'Neil said the department currently includes 11 full-time certified police officers (including the director), one full-time dispatcher and additional student workers who fill dispatch slots, perform lock-up duties and serve as ticket writers. The traffic management office has a full-time senior budget clerk and a fee control clerk.
On crime trends, O'Neil said Weakley County's crime rate is "completely average" in Tennessee and that the campus has the second-lowest crime rate in its comparison group for both Group A offenses and index crimes. He noted index crimes include homicide, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny, motor vehicle theft and arson, and that Group A offenses include those plus other serious incidents. O'Neil said index crimes fell slightly in 2024 while Group A crimes rose slightly, describing the overall trend as "pretty much stayed flat."
O'Neil identified parking location and access as an operational challenge rather than capacity: the campus remains below 65% parking utilization but some spaces are far from student destinations.
Ending: O'Neil told trustees the department will continue modernizing equipment and training and will work with campus leadership on parking improvements; TBI statewide crime numbers were noted as forthcoming in spring for comparative analysis.
