Beaty named chief of UB Police Department

BUFFALO, N.Y. – Kimberly “Kim” Beaty has been named chief of University Police at the University at Buffalo after a national search. She will join UB on Nov. 16.

Beaty succeeds Chris Bartolomei, who retired in August after serving UB and University Police for 27 years — the last six as chief.

“Kim Beaty exemplifies the values and principles of community-based policing, which encourages the campus community to promote crime prevention and safety awareness,” said Laura Hubbard, UB’s vice president for finance and administration.

“The breadth and depth of her experience as a leader in the law enforcement profession, her connections with other area law enforcement partners, and her focus on engagement and education are qualities that will greatly benefit the UB community and UPD.”

As head of UPD, Beaty will lead the department and make strategic judgments and decisions to chart UB’s law enforcement, safety and security plan.

She will be responsible for evaluating and continually refining the department’s different strategies to engage the campus community, and will work to ensure a relationship-based approach to community policing to effectively connect the police with students, faculty, staff and other community partners.

“While serving a diverse community in leadership roles, I have found it most rewarding to do my life’s work in higher education,” says Beaty, who has been director of public safety at Canisius University since 2018. “I look forward to joining the UB community and for the opportunity to work in an environment with people committed to advancing themselves educationally to go out and be good citizens.”

Among her duties at Canisius, Beaty developed an Inclusive Crisis Response Team for activation, on-scene response, intervention and post-crisis review. She is known for her approachability and positive interactions with the Canisius community. 

Prior to joining Canisius, Beaty was a member of the Buffalo Police Department for more than 30 years, including four years as deputy police commissioner. She also serves as a law enforcement training consultant for the Erie County Law Enforcement Training Academy, where she provides professional training for police recruits and veterans. 

Beaty is chair of the Erie County Law Enforcement Foundation Board of Directors, a member of New York Women in Law Enforcement, and a member of the Erie County Chiefs of Police. She has a master’s degree in higher education and student affairs, and a bachelor’s degree in communication, both from Canisius.