Feb. 8, 2021
Contact: Sara Diedrich, diedrichs@missouri.edu, 573-882-3243
MUPD Chief Brian Weimer has been with the MU Police Department for almost 30 years.
Columbia, Mo. — University of Missouri Vice Chancellor for Operations Gary Ward announced today that Brian Weimer, interim chief and major of operations with the MU Police Department, has been named chief of MUPD.
Weimer said the exceptional team at MUPD and his belief in each member inspired him to accept the job as chief.
“I look forward to continuing our work to enhance the safety and quality of life for our diverse campus community,” he said. “We will continue to maintain our strong relationships with students, staff, faculty, local citizens and area law enforcement agencies and to build new partnerships that support our mission of ensuring a peaceful quality of life for our community.
“I am proud of being part of a department that holds itself to the highest levels of law enforcement professionalism and best practices as shown by our commitment to accreditation. The heart of our efforts is meeting the needs of our campus community.”
Weimer took over as interim chief in July, replacing former Chief Doug Schwandt, who retired Aug. 3, 2020, after 20 years of service to the department.
MUPD is the primary law enforcement response agency for MU and embraces a community policing model. Since 2001, MUPD has been accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies and by the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators, which assures that the department’s policies and procedures are on the cutting edge of best practices in law enforcement. Of the 14 institutions in the Southeastern Conference, eight are accredited with CALEA and of those eight agencies, five also are accredited with IACLEA, which includes MUPD.
Weimer said MUPD is deeply committed to maintaining a campus that is safe and welcoming to everyone.
“Our officers interact with members of our campus community every day, working hard to meet their needs and build relationships,” he said.
Weimer has been with MUPD since 1992, when he joined the department as an officer. Over the years, he has risen in ranks from officer to sergeant to lieutenant to captain to major in 2015. During that time, Weimer served as a crime prevention officer, working with students, faculty and staff to take a proactive approach to law enforcement through educational programs, security surveys and community involvement. Later, as a sergeant, he supervised the detective unit, the crime prevention officer and campus safety officers. Weimer also served as the department’s public relations officer in handling press releases and media inquiries, and served a stint as a detective. When he became a lieutenant, he conducted background investigations on police applicants and assisted with the department’s accreditation process and with preparations for home football and basketball games, and other special events on campus. As a captain, Weimer oversaw the department’s accreditation process and even became an assessor for CALEA.
Eventually, Weimer became major of operations and oversaw the patrol division, the crime prevention unit, the investigation division and staff services. Among his many responsibilities was conducting selection and promotion of sworn officers. He oversaw officer training and the department’s accreditation efforts, and served as MUPD’s internal affairs investigator.
Ward said Weimer has a long history of interacting with campus organizations, which gives him valuable insight into the campus community.
“Brian’s years of experience at Mizzou will make him invaluable as chief of the MU Police Department,” Ward said. “Our campus community will be well-served by him.”
Weimer has a master of science in criminal justice from Columbia College and bachelor of science in criminal justice from University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg. He attended Northwestern, 317th Class of the Police Staff and Command (SPSC), Federal Bureau of Investigations, 230th Session National Academy (FBINA), and Southern Police Institute, 103rd Class of the Administrative Officers Course (SPI). He was the recipient of the Barbara S. Uehling Award for Administrative Excellence in 2016.
