Sean Brammer has served in blue for the Florida Atlantic University Police Department since 2006. However, his law enforcement experience dates back to 1997, when he began working for the Florida Highway Patrol. He worked his way up the ranks at FAU and became the Chief of Police in 2017.
In a phone interview with the University Press, Brammer pulled back the yellow caution tape to offer an inside look at the department’s protocol. From the dispatcher answering the calls to the officers on the ground investigating on-campus crime, he shared his strong desire to create a “community-oriented” agency. But first, he said that starts with proper police officer training.
His team consists of new recruits, from criminal justice majors seeking hands-on experience to seasoned law enforcement professionals wanting to re-enter the field in a college setting. As the Chief of Police, Brammer highly values integrity, character and moral standards when evaluating candidates.
FAUPD puts applicants through a rigorous selection process that includes background checks and psychological testing. Once hired, the selected officer completes a six-month academy and is further trained through the Field Training Officer program to become familiar with the campus geography to better manage incidents.
This conversation has been edited for clarity.
Q: During the interview process, what do you look for specifically for officers in a “community-oriented” setting or, in this case, a college setting?
A: Most people who come to us probably won’t have a significantly stacked resume, so what we look for are those character traits. The questions we ask help us identify whether this person is here with the desire to help build a community where the police department is part of the community and the community is part of the police department. We’re not trying to create a barrier of “us versus them”; instead, we want to work collaboratively to support the community and aid in crime prevention.
Now, are we going to be able to prevent everything that occurs everywhere? Absolutely not. But if we have someone who builds those relationships, then it is easier for a student to come up and say, “Hey, Officer, this occurred here, and this is the person who did it,” or “We’re having these issues here.” And they already have a name to a face they can contact.
Q: What drives your passion for this job and motivates you to clock in every day?
A: You can’t stop everything, but just to make sure that we place a handprint on someone’s life to positively impact the student, faculty member, or staff member and, in turn, positively impact our community through placing handprints rather than handcuffs. There are times when we have to use handcuffs, but how can we make a difference? […] Just being human, right? Humanizing law enforcement, fortunately, and humanizing the badge. Because a lot of times, people look at us as more punitive than we are relational, and they don’t see us like that.
[…] One conversation can change the trajectory of someone’s life, whether they go to the left, to the right, or keep moving forward. And that is how we want it every day. When I sign on, when I come out to work, and when I put my feet down on the ground, I think of ways I can prevent tragedies from occurring on our campus. And how I can prevent us from incarcerating someone or arresting someone who really just needs therapy.
Q: The security report published last October showed an increase in crime, mainly at the Boca Raton campus, compared to the other six. What is the reasoning behind that?
A: You’re going to see a higher volume of calls on our Boca campus because this is where we have the most students coming. We have a higher volume of students, faculty and staff on campus. We also have more students living on campus, so the likelihood of something actually happening here is increasing by a hundred percent.
[..] And this is just because of the shared geographic location. We have the interstate that dumps right into it. So, you’re going to have people who come through and see, for instance, vehicle thefts. The people who are coming in, who are not related to our community, will see the hundreds of cars on campus. They’ll see this as an opportunity to steal, break-in and so on.
Q: What message do you have for the FAU community?
A: We are here for you. Are we always going to be there to see everything? No. But when we use the slogan: “See Something, Say Something” you guys have eyes and ears in places and areas that we don’t. But if you say it and share it with us, we will be diligent to ensure that we go out there and do our best to serve you, protect you and keep you safe while you’re on campus.
Michael Cook is the Managing Editor for the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, email michael17cook@gmail.com.
