Ken Brown, JD, MPA, PhD, FACHE, executive vice chancellor and chief operations officer of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) has named William Walsh III, as the interim chief of police, effective immediately.
“The combination of his law enforcement background and knowledge of the particular requirements of an academic community made Captain Walsh the right choice to serve as interim chief,” said Dr. Brown. “His ties with area law enforcement units and focus on strategic leadership of the department will serve him well in this demanding role.”
A Memphis native and retired police officer, Walsh previously worked as a captain for Campus Police at UTHSC. He has a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of the State of New York and is currently pursuing his Master of Professional Studies degree with a concentration in Strategic Leadership. Walsh has been employed with the university since May 2012. He has previously held positions at Christian Brothers University, Saint Ann Catholic Church and the Memphis Police Department.
In his new position, Walsh will be responsible for providing command for timely and efficient patrol services. He is also responsible for the supervision of campus police field operations including supervisors, police, security and dispatch officers, 365 days a year and 24 hours a day. Walsh will ensure proper training for law enforcement software systems and act as a “help desk” for system problems.
In addition, Walsh will directly manage departmental property and equipment utilized by three police shifts including uniforms, firearms and related equipment. He will monitor all shift activities to ensure policy and procedure compliance as well as manage and schedule mandatory training and certification required for Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) certified police officers, dispatchers and security officers.
Walsh’s other duties include serving as a liaison for other law enforcement agencies and security departments of hospitals in the Medical Center area concerning ongoing security/police matters of mutual interest. Affiliated entities include Homeland Security and the UTHSC Safety Office. He will also coordinate with the manager of the UTHSC Bio Safety Lab and Regional Biocontainment Laboratory for training and maintaining an approved response protocol for various accident or disaster events. The UTHSC chief of police position will report directly to the executive vice chancellor for UTHSC.
Walsh has been married to his wife, Janet, for 26 years. They have three children – Anna, Will and Kate — and are expecting their first grandchild in January.