By: Delaney Hayden, Asst. News Editor
On Nov. 7, 2023 The Griffin sat down with Director of Public Safety at Canisius University Chief Kimberly Beaty. She will be leaving her position of five-and-a-half years at Canisius and beginning a new role as chief of the University at Buffalo’s (UB) police department on all three of their campuses beginning on Nov. 16.
Although Beaty’s new position at UB is effective Nov. 16, she extended her time at Canisius until Nov. 15 to “make sure everything is okay.” A Buffalo native and two-time graduate of Canisius with a bachelor’s degree in communications and a master’s degree in higher education and student affairs, Beaty considers Canisius “her home” and expressed she will always be “a Griff through and through.”
She recalled that when she got the opportunity to come back to Canisius after a law enforcement career with the Buffalo PD, she “came back with so much gratitude and humility.” After moving up through the ranks at the Police Academy in Erie County as a lieutenant, chief, deputy commissioner and second in command of the Buffalo Police Department, Beaty said she is used to leading and commanding. When Canisius came to her, she knew she had to take the opportunity because, as she shared, “I love Canisius.”
Beaty shared that the Public Safety unit that was already at Canisius when she came back was amazing and that she was glad to have the opportunity to add to it. “They do a great job,” Beaty said, speaking highly of the entire Public Safety unit and all of the officers at Canisius. She continued, “They are worth their weight in gold, because it takes a strong, committed and loyal person to raise their hand and commit their lives to serving and protecting people… It’s a noble profession.”
Beaty shared that she “wants to serve as a role model to other people, especially women [so] that we can do whatever we want and be successful.” She reflected, “Policing for me is about partnerships and problem-solving.” Furthermore, “Canisius University law enforcement and our campus community have had great success in this area.”
Beaty stated, “Our goal has been to protect this campus and the surrounding neighborhood so that we not only feel safe, but are able to actually be safe. … We’ve done that by working together on crime prevention and enhancing our community policing strategies. Let’s keep that going. Our relationship on campus has been a blessing for me. We know how to take care of each other and be safe.”
Beaty reflected on the challenges of choosing to accept the position at UB. She said, “It was a difficult decision,” she said. “And as I went through the process, you always ask yourself, ‘Am I sure?’ I never thought I’d be leaving this soon.” Beaty added, “But I had to make sure it was the right thing for my family.”
She continued, “I believe you have to brand yourself, and I have branded myself, and that makes people want your service.” In talking about branding oneself, Beaty claimed you do this by sharing your values, working with integrity, meaning what you say and standing up for yourself with grace and respect for others.
“I want to also see people grow,” Beaty continued, “so I think the foundation is here so someone else can come in and lead the officers as they protect this campus.” She added that “If I move on, that opens up an opportunity for someone else.”
Beaty said, “The faculty, staff and students [at Canisius] have been wonderful to work with. I love that they appreciate the job that the officers do on campus. She admitted, “It’s been wonderful working here.”
Beaty shared some of the details of her new role at UB in saying she will still have the same role of keeping the campus community safe, but there will also be “more people, more activity, more incidents,” and as she laughed, she added, “probably less sleep.”
She explained some of the differences between Canisius in UB as well, explaining, “At Canisius and UB, we are all law enforcement officers, but the status is different.” For Beaty, that environment at Canisius means, “They are peace officers that have the rights, privileges, responsibilities and powers of law enforcement.” Whereas, “At UB, because we are all confined to a campus, they are police, so they go to the Police Academy.”
At UB, Beaty will also be working alongside many officers whom she personally trained at the Police Academy at Erie County. She shared that she does in fact know most of the officers at UB and is excited to work with them again in a different capacity after having trained them. She reminisced that she loves watching “officers grow into the profession and… become interested in different fields of law enforcement.”
Canisius is in the process of hiring a new chief, and currently has “quite a few applicants,” Beaty shared. “I believe Canisius is going to do a good job in replacing me, and I believe that person is going to be able to walk into this office and be ready to go.”
Chief Beaty concluded that she is going to miss everybody and shared, “I’d… like to thank the officers for their hard work and dedication. They never wavered in their commitment to the university, and for that I am grateful. It has been an honor to serve at Canisius.”
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