Pacific Department of Public Safety Director Mike Belcher, pausing a moment in the dispatch center on the Stockton Campus, is a national finalist for Campus Safety Magazine’s Director of the Year Award.

Mike Belcher, head of University of the Pacific's Department of Public Safety, is a finalist for Campus Safety Magazine's Director of the Year Award.

Belcher has been in law enforcement for 42 years, including 25 years with the Stockton Police Department and 16 years at Pacific. He was nominated for national recognition because of the progressive efforts he has taken to keep Pacific safe through robust safety training programs and, most notably, initiating a video surveillance system on all three campuses to monitor for potential threats.

"In the past two years since this system was put in place, crime rates on (the Stockton) campus have decreased," Belcher said. "For example, burglary has gone from 25 incidents a year to five and is steadily declining."

Belcher will conclude his career in law enforcement in June when he retires. Throughout his career he has always believed that a person's best work is done when they connect with one another.

"I want the university and the Department of Public Safety to continue building relationships with the community, so we can continue to foster strong bonds where everyone feels safe and heard," he said.

While Belcher appreciates the commendations and awards that he has received over the years, he attributes his success to the people with whom he has worked.

"A large part of what makes public safety so effective is all of the people working together to make a safe community," Belcher said.

Campus Safety Magazine is intended for those charged with the public safety and security of major hospitals, schools and universities in the United States.

The winner will be announced at the Campus Safety Conference West this summer in Las Vegas.