Dr. Robin Griffin-Kitzerow, UCF chief of police, talks about her experiences as chief on Thursday at the UCF Police Department, explaining how she hopes to impact the UCF student body. Griffin-Kitzerow has been the UCFPD chief since July 4.
Skyler Williamson
UCF made history by appointing its first female police chief, Dr. Robin Griffin-Kitzerow, on July 4.Â
Griffin-Kitzerow has worked in public safety and education for more than 30 years. Griffin-Kitzerow said she has been at UCF for about four years, and she is proud to be the chief.
“I’m grateful to all of the folks who’ve come before me and paved the way,” Griffin-Kitzerow said. “I’m proud of our agency and the leadership here in the officers, the support staff and the professional staff that make this agency so great. We are a premier law enforcement agency in the state and in the nation.”
Griffin-Kitzerow intends to maintain the success that UCFPD has had.Â
“I plan to build on all of our successes that we have already had here at UCF, and also just continue training, developing our people, advancing in technology, leveraging that to fight crime and support our students,” Griffin-Kitzerow said.
A June 2025 study, “The Police Progression Paradox,” explains how women are underrepresented across the ranks of the police.
The study said the number of women entering the police is increasing, but women are still underrepresented across various ranks of law enforcement.Â
“In the United States women hold only 3% of leadership roles in law enforcement,” the report stated. “This suggests that barriers in relation to women’s promotion remain an ongoing problem, with higher rates of resignation for women officers remaining a longstanding issue.”
Daniela Reich, a sophomore public administration major, said she was surrounded by police officers growing up, but she never really had a female role model in law enforcement whom she could look up to.
“I think this is really amazing because it gives other students, undergrads, younger girls and whoever wants to come to UCF someone to look up to,” Reich said.Â
Reich said seeing a woman in this leadership role makes the field seem more accessible and achievable.
“It sets a precedent; a lot of the time women are not just underrepresented but undermined,” Reich said. “People don’t think that women can go so far and excel in a male-dominated field, especially in law enforcement, because people have their preconceptions about what it means to be a police officer or chief.”
Griffin-Kitzerow said she is grateful for the women who have come before her and paved the way.
“Ten, 20 and 30 years ago, it was even harder to get into police work, but I could say now, having been in it for over three decades, it’s more about what you bring to the table and less about who you are,” Griffin-Kitzerow said.
Reich said it’s important to have female representation in senior positions.
“Women are taught at a young age to always be vigilant and aware of our surroundings,” Reich said. “We have a different perspective on what security means, and it’s great to have new ideas in that field.”
Reich said UCF’s appointment of a female chief of police is very inspiring to her.
“I’ve met her once or twice, a handful of times, but she’s just a strong presence; she walks into a room, and there’s just that automatic respect from everyone, whether male, female, whoever it is,” Reich said. “She’s just such a great role model, especially all the work she’s done in her past. It really reflects on her here at UCF.”
Griffin-Kitzerow said it’s important to her that students know the UCFPD is available anytime.
“No issue is too small,” Griffin-Kitzerow said. “When I look at our campus community and I meet the students every single day, I am reminded about what a critically important mission this is.”