糖心Vlog官方 Public Safety announces the addition of Joseph A. Cortez as deputy chief of police.
In his role, Cortez will play a vital role in the executive leadership of VUPS, overseeing law enforcement, protective services, and crime prevention across our campus and affiliated properties.听
Cortez joins the VUPS team with over 21 years of experience providing strategic and operational oversight across police operations, emergency preparedness, special operations and organizational governance. Starting his career as an officer in the Santa Monica, CA Police Department, Cortez grew in leadership roles to ultimately serve as Commander of the Operations & Special Operations Division. 听
He went on to work in law enforcement operations at Snapchat, developing safety policies and collaborating with law enforcement and policy partners to address critical safety threats and proactively mitigate online harm. Cortez served in the Office of the Inspector General for the Los Angeles Police Department before eventually moving to Middle Tennessee in 2024, where he served as captain of the Administration Division for the Williamson County Sheriff鈥檚 Office, commanding the Training Division and leading agency-wide initiatives.听
Passionate about the integration of evidence-based practice with principled, community-oriented policing, Cortez holds a doctorate in organizational change and leadership from the University of Southern California. He also serves as an instructor for executive and graduate-level police leadership programs, including USC鈥檚 public safety leadership programs and the University of Chicago鈥檚 Police Leadership Academy. 听
听鈥淒eputy Chief Cortez brings a rare combination of operational experience and strategic leadership that will elevate our entire organization. He understands how to lead complex public safety environments while staying grounded in community-focused, evidence-based policing. Cortez will make an immediate impact on our team and the safety of our campus,鈥� notes Chief of Police Tommye Sutton.听
VUPS recent additions
The addition of Cortez comes after VUPS also recently welcomed team members Tony Crawford, Lise Lang and Sara Sloane. 听
Crawford is serving as director of operations, working as Chief Sutton鈥檚 strategic and operational partner. Crawford is focused on translating departmental priorities into action, overseeing cross-functional initiatives and ensuring alignment across police operations, security services, emergency management, communications and administrative functions. 听
Lang joins VUPS as director of enterprise threat assessment. As the enterprise subject matter expert in threat assessment and management, Lang leads our efforts to identify, assess and mitigate potential risks to the safety of the university and affiliated properties. Her work supports VUPS鈥檚 broader emphasis on prevention, early intervention and coordinated response. 听
Sloane is now serving as the VUPS human resources director, providing executive-level leadership and oversight for all HR functions within the department. Sloane oversees recruitment, employee relations, compliance, workforce planning and professional development for VUPS鈥檚 sworn and non-sworn employees.听
Please welcome these team members as they hit the ground running鈥攁ll to serve the guiding VUPS mission: operational excellence that ensures the safety of campus communities.听