The U of A Police Department promoted two of its most established officers to new positions this spring: Assistant Chief Matt Mills and Administrative Captain Crandall Edwards. 

Mills had been the captain over emergency management for 11 years, and Edwards was previously the executive assistant to the chief. 

"I am very pleased to see the advancement of both Assistant Chief Mills and Captain Edwards as they enter into these new roles," UAPD Chief Stephen Gahagans said. "They are crucial pieces of our mission to provide safety to our campus." 

Both officers' promotions are part of the department's efforts to bring clarity to its reporting structure. Two distinct divisions have been created, Operations and Administration, to achieve better efficiency on both a day-to-day and long-term basis. 

Assistant Chief Matt Mills 

In his new position, Mills will oversee UAPD patrol, criminal investigations and emergency management, as well as assume the responsibilities of the public information officer previously held by Captain Gary Crain, who retired in February. 

Now acting as assistant chief, Mills said he can be more hands-on with the operational and patrol side than he could as captain over emergency management. His new role will let him spend more time at the police department on campus, engaging with the campus community daily. 

"What I'm most looking forward to is seeing the officers more frequently and making relationships with faculty, staff and the student body," Mills said. 

Mills began his policing career in 1997 as UAPD's first full-time bicycle patrol officer. He remained in patrol until 2005, when he left the department for a new opportunity. But after a couple years, Mills returned to the U of A, this time as lieutenant. 

"I missed what this agency does," Mills said. "I missed the people; I missed the camaraderie with the officers; I missed the community of the university, and I didn't feel like I was done." 

Mills is now serving in his 25th year at the U of A. 

Administrative Captain Crandall Edwards 

For Edwards, the responsibilities in his new role include overseeing UAPD's training & creative development, communications center, community outreach and support teams and security. Edwards said he is excited to assume ownership over the various teams and is looking forward to dedicating a high level of investment and care to the officers on those teams. 

Edwards said that while in his previous role he assisted in many of the same areas he will in his new position, the status of administrative captain adds an element of responsibility that he is excited to embrace.  

"I have more stock in those areas now," Edwards said.  

Since joining the department in 2008, Edwards has served in six different roles at UAPD. He simultaneously worked in patrol and attended the U of A from 2008-2012 and 2018-2020, first earning his bachelor's degree and then a master's degree in operations management. He also became a member of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity while a student at the U of A, of which he is still an active member. 

Forward Together 

Mills and Edwards have climbed the ranks of UAPD alongside each other, starting in 2008 when Edwards joined the force. Both officers also graduated with their bachelor's degree in 2012, attending undergraduate classes together for four years. 

They have used their experience and expertise in policing to serve several roles at UAPD over the last 16 years, embodying consistent and reliable figures in campus security. 

Both officers have remained at the U of A for the entirety of their policing career, which they said is a testament to what this department represents. 

The unique relationships that UAPD officers are able to form with members of the campus community is a big draw to stay at a campus police department, Mills and Edwards said. 

"One of my favorite things is watching students come in as freshmen and grow throughout college and graduate, and then seeing that flip every year," Edwards said. "So, you get a new crop of people coming in every year that you get to work with." 

Edwards said he periodically receives emails from former students with messages such as "You changed my life" and "Thank you for helping me in college."

Mills said UAPD has a special role because it is oftentimes a student's first interaction with law enforcement. It is a responsibility that Mills and Edwards have accepted head-on, and being offered enhanced roles at the department is an honor and an indication of their hard work and dedication.