Meet Officer Stephen Hall! This is his first year working for TCU’s Police Department after serving the Fort Worth community for 28 years in the patrol, DWI enforcement, gang unit, narcotics divisions as well as a detective. Now, he serves in TCU’s Police Department- keep reading to learn more about one of our favorite campus cops!
Name: Stephen Hall
Position: Police Officer
Hometown: Garland, Texas
Alma Mater:
- Baylor
- University of Texas at Arlington
Involvement on Campus:
- TCU Police Department
- Frog Camp
Q: How in the world are you working at TCU if you went to Baylor?!
A: “Baylor was a great school, so is TCU, but I’m well aware of the rivalry we share.”
Q: Out of all the classes you took in college, what was your favorite?
A: “Forensic Chemistry!”
Q: What’s the most outrageous excuse you’ve gotten when pulling someone over?
A: “This young lady had run a stop sign, and after pulling her over I realized she wasn’t wearing a seatbelt or had her drivers license. She was trying to make up an excuse for not having it, saying she had a medical condition. I believe she was trying to convince me that she was an ‘epileptic’ but she accidentally said she was ‘pathetic.’ I was pretty sure that wasn’t a valid excuse… or a medical condition.”
Q: What made you want to police on a college campus?
A: “As a city policeman, I worked mainly with people who were destitute and had no hope. Instead, when working on a campus, I’m interacting with young people with have goals for their life. I just wanted a change to be around people who were more positive.”
Q: Could you describe a typical shift for a TCU police officer?
A: “Well there’s really not much. I personally aim to walk the campus earlier in my night shift, and then we can provide escorts to anyone who wants it. TCU is a very safe place, but you can never be too cautious. A majority of our calls are related to a student who has drank too much.”
Q: Rumor has it that a Baylor student was behind the recent vandalism on campus, can you tell us more about it?
A: “Security is still checking cameras to identify a face. They’ve been able to spot him in a few shots, but no leads have been made. Most people don’t know a TCU student started the mess by going to their campus first and doing something similar.”
Q: So far. from your time working for TCU, what’s been your favorite memory?
A: “Definitely Frog Camp! It was neat to see how TCU approaches accepting their new students. I never personally got an experience like that my freshman year, so it was enlightening to see how far TCU went to welcome their students.”
Q: Wildest event in your police career?
A: “During a chase, I had to follow a suspect on foot through a neighborhood in the dark. I arrested who I believed was the suspect, but he swore he was out running to find an ambulance. He had me take him to his home to prove his story, where I found his wife giving birth. Those at the house who saw my uniform assumed I was a paramedic, and ushered me to help in the delivering. That led me to helping her give birth, something I never expected to do in my lifetime.”
Q: So donuts, what’s up with that?
A: “The story goes that back in the day, when cops had night shifts the only restaurants that were open very late and very early were donut shops. It turned into an image for policemen because they were often found eating the only food they could get at that time, donuts.”
Q: It’s no secret that parking on this campus seems nearly impossible; do you have any tips for us students?
A: “The parking situation is truly terrible. But when parking in the designated areas, there will always be a shuttle or a Froggie at your disposal for respecting the university’s parking assignments.”
Photo courtesy of Stephen Hall