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Detective Pat Bush is a UTA alumnus and graduated with a Master of Arts in 2023. Bush spent over 16 years as a senior police officer in Euless, Texas.<\/p>\n
Photo by Samarie Goffney<\/a><\/p>\n It\u2019s a typical workday for Detective Pat Bush. <\/p>\n Bush, 49, starts his mornings by reviewing patrol reports and emails before checking the news and scanning social media for issues that might affect students. As a threat assessment investigator, he then coordinates with campus partners and connects students and employees with support for safety concerns ranging from mental health crises to domestic violence. <\/p>\n And throughout the day, he logs into UTA\u2019s subreddit several times. <\/p>\n Known on Reddit as u\/UTADetectiveBush<\/a>, Bush has become a familiar presence in campus threads as he answers questions about issues such as traffic flow<\/a>, campus hecklers<\/a> and potential immigration enforcement presence<\/a>. Sometimes, he joins in on lighter posts, including cracking jokes about filing a theft report \u201cbecause someone had their heart stolen.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n A student posted Girl near ERB Parking Lot<\/p>\n Question<\/p>\n To the really pretty girl with curly brunette hair I ran into I was in a rush so I didn\u2019t think to ask for your number, but \u2b06 168 … and Bush Looks like I’ll have to take a theft \u2b06 76 \u2b07 \ud83d\udcac His replies often carry humor, but the tone can shift quickly when students raise safety concerns or questions about university policy.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI want people to be able to be like, \u2018I can joke with Detective Bush, and he’s going to laugh with me, but I know that if it’s something serious, that he’s there, that I can reach out to him and approach him,\u2019\u201d Bush said in an interview. <\/p>\n Over the past two years, students have increasingly name-dropped Bush in threads and tagged his account in posts about issues ranging from donation scams<\/a> to suspicious activity near campus apartments<\/a>, often treating his replies as reliable within discussion threads. <\/p>\n Some have even compared his look to actor Christoph Waltz<\/a>, a joke Bush responded to with \u201c…………\u201d followed by a comedic faux-Shakespearean monologue. <\/p>\n \u201cYour account was the first one I was looking for when I came down to the comments,\u201d one Reddit user wrote in response to a post<\/a> about suspicious behavior on campus.\u00a0<\/p>\n Bush is aware of the rare relationship he has developed with students online, he said. He understands that many college-aged students have complex perceptions of law enforcement, particularly at a university like UTA with a large international population. <\/p>\n \u201cIt’s been nothing but positive,\u201d he said. \u201cIt’s been a very valuable source of communication, of information and, at times, intelligence.\u201d <\/p>\n Third baseman Pat Bush, right, tries to tag out a Howard Payne runner caught between third and home, as catcher Justin Batson looks on during April 8, 1997, game.\u00a0<\/p>\n Shorthorn file photo \/ Brooks Whittington<\/p>\n When Bush opened his Reddit account in 2023, he was already used to working with students. <\/p>\n He returned to UTA in his current role in 2020, decades after attending the university himself and playing baseball on campus in the \u201990s. <\/p>\n Before that, he spent more than 16 years as a senior police officer in Euless, Texas, including three years as a school resource officer at Hurst-Euless-Bedford KEYS High School. There, he worked closely with students navigating safety concerns and personal challenges both inside and outside the classroom. <\/p>\n During that time, he also worked with a crisis response team and began monitoring social media to identify potential threats \u2014 experience that now informs his work at UTA.\u00a0<\/p>\n That shaped how he approaches policing today. Rather than focusing on arrests, Bush said, his role as UTA Police\u2019s liaison to the university\u2019s CARE Team centers on identifying concerns early, understanding what is driving a situation and connecting students with support before problems escalate. <\/p>\n \u201cIf you don’t find the reason for the grievance or the threat, you’re never going to really solve it,\u201d he said. \u201cYou can’t arrest your way out of a threat situation.\u201d <\/p>\n Hello!<\/p>\n The SAR center will evaluate your needs and diagnosis and come (817) 272-3364<\/p>\n https:\/\/www.uta.edu\/student-affairs\/sarcenter\/requesting-services<\/a><\/p>\n Make a plan to contact them. The procrastination is a classic Let me know if I can be of any assistance.<\/p>\n -The Detective Bush \ud83d\udd75\ufe0f<\/p>\n \u2b06 5 Taelor Faulkner, CARE Team case manager, said Bush\u2019s online presence helps identify concerns early as campus partners meet weekly to coordinate support ranging from academic flexibility to off-campus referrals. His tone online also makes students feel comfortable reaching out for help, she said. <\/p>\n \u201cHe’s always in the know about stuff \u2014 Reddit, as we know \u2014 just kind of seeing what’s going on with students,\u201d Faulkner said. <\/p>\n Bush\u2019s presence on Reddit began with a suspicious-person case posted in the university\u2019s subreddit. He suggested responding directly on the platform, and Police Department leadership supported the idea. <\/p>\n \u201cIt was just prudent for me to make a forward-facing like, \u2018Hey, boom, this is me. Feel free to contact me,\u2019\u201d he said. <\/p>\n Students responded almost immediately.\u00a0<\/p>\n Bush said Reddit\u2019s anonymity can make students feel comfortable approaching him, whereas they might otherwise hesitate to contact the police directly. He doesn\u2019t attempt to identify users unless a situation involves serious safety concerns. <\/p>\n \u201cBecause I now have established the Reddit community, I don’t want to jeopardize that,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s become such a valuable source of information and availability that students can have. And also, we have fun.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201c<\/p>\n It\u2019s become such a valuable source of Threat assessment investigator Detective \u201d<\/p>\n UTA Police Chief Kim Lemaux said it\u2019s important for her department to stay aware of how the campus community communicates, and Bush\u2019s presence on Reddit reflects that effort. Before adopting the conversational tone that now defines many of his posts, she said, he checked with leadership. <\/p>\n \u201cHe’s got a good sense of humor with the people he works with, with his kids, with his family, and he said, \u2018May I use that?\u2019\u201d Lemaux said. \u201cAnd it was like, \u2018Yeah, you just need to be professional about it.\u2019 Because, to me, there’s not anything unprofessional about humor.\u201d <\/p>\n Bush said he has no plans to stop posting on Reddit. When no major updates are needed, he sometimes joins lighter conversations \u2014 including posts about the campus cat Microwave and a possum he jokingly named Hotplate<\/a> \u2014 partly to remind students he is there if they need help. <\/p>\n When an alumni asks whether UTA police When unfamiliar slang appears, he looks it up. <\/p>\n And when necessary, the account becomes part of his investigative process.\u00a0<\/p>\n Last September, a viral TikTok trend showed first-person videos that appeared to depict people urinating at recognizable spots on college campuses nationwide. The trend eventually reached UTA<\/a>. <\/p>\n After being tagged on Reddit, Bush reviewed the TikTok footage frame by frame to identify the location, using nearby construction at the Life Science Building and matching the wet sidewalk to when sprinklers had recently run to narrow down the timeline. <\/p>\n He then reviewed security camera footage, which showed the culprit: A student had been spraying water from a bottle rather than urinating. Because no offense had occurred, Bush clarified the situation for students the way he often does \u2014 directly on Reddit. <\/p>\n \u201cSo…to the Ronaldo, Manchester United jersey-wearing person that sprayed water out of a water bottle and then left in the red small SUV with someone else, yes it is all on video,\u201d he wrote<\/a>. <\/p>\n The mystery \u2014 and the rumor \u2014 soon dried up. <\/p>\n @DangHLe<\/p>\n
\nabout a missed connection near the Engineering Research Building
\nparking lot …<\/p>\n
\nnear University Center and ERB parking lot around 12:30 that
\nstopped me to compliment me on my circuit, hi I\u2019m the Asian guy
\nthat was in the blue polo. I thought you were really cute.<\/p>\n
\nhopefully you see this!<\/p>\n
\n\u2b07 \ud83d\udcac 35 \u2934 Share<\/p>\n
\nsaw an opportunity.<\/p>\n
\nreport because someone had their heart stolen…<\/p>\n
\nReply \ud83c\udfc5 Award
\n\u2934 Share \u2026<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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\nup with a plan, kinda like a 504 plan if you’re familiar with
\nthose. You would probably need some kind of diagnosis record; if
\nyou have a previous 504, that might work. I would just advise you
\nto call and talk to them.<\/p>\n
\nsymptom of ADHD.<\/p>\n
\n\u2b07 \ud83d\udcac Reply \u2934 Share \u2026<\/p>\n
\ninformation and availability that students can have. And also, we
\nhave fun.<\/p>\n
\nPat Bush<\/p>\n
\nare going to respond to the squatter situation near campus cat
\nMicrowave’s house …<\/p>\n