Offices - Police Hero

Close up of a UT System Police Badge, with text on the side of the image: Office of the Director of Police

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Aaron Speer, UT Arlington PD - Featured Officer of the Month

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Officer of the Month

Speer

Born and raised in Texas with many family members (from grandfather, parents and siblings) graduating from the University of Texas system, Aaron Speer’s affections for UT run deep.   

After graduating from Martin High School in Arlington, Texas with honors, Speer’s desire to learn and affinity for cars led him to obtain a degree in Automotive Service Technology.  Automotive training was then followed by an EMT certification to further his desire to serve with other first responders. Throughout EMT training Speer served as class president of the program, which was specifically designed for emergency responders and disaster relief organizations. Speer served two years on the logistics and safety team at Pantego Bible Church, including teaching many CPR and First Aid classes and collaborating with other team members for fire, weather, and active shooter scenario training.

One of his greatest inspirations came in July 2016 after the Dallas shootings. It was then that he realized his calling to serve in law enforcement.  It was with great fortune that a close friend pointed out that working for the UTA Police Department provided a unique merger of law enforcement and community service in his very own hometown.  Officer Speer believes serving in law enforcement provides the opportunity to be an active member of his community while also aiding those most threatened by hate and violence in the world.

Officer Aaron Speer began working at the University of Texas at Arlington Police Department as a commissioned officer in 2017. In July of 2017, Officer Speer graduated from the Tarrant County College Criminal Justice Police Academy in Fort Worth, Texas and was the first officer in his class to complete Field Training in December 2017.

Officer Speer enjoys being proactive on patrol as he helps protect the UTA campus. One of Officer Speer’s traffic stops resulted in the seizure of marijuana, cocaine, and over $25,000. Officer Speer is also part of the department’s Bait Bike team that recently worked together to arrest a known offender during an attempted bike theft. In addition, Officer Speer has become a Taser Instructor and the Basic Tactical Medic Program through the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center.

Officer Speer continues to strive to be a well-rounded officer, adept at enforcing the law while expanding his training and experience.  He strives to develop relationships with the individuals he interacts with on a daily basis as he focuses on working with the community.  Officer Speer believes that justice and peace are worth fighting for and it is a great honor to be able to serve with the UTA Police Department in the City of Arlington where he grew up. He expressed how much of a privilege it has been to serve our community while working alongside his diverse, talented colleagues at UTA.

In November 2018, Officer Speer married his longtime friend and better half, Sarah Greer Speer, on a beach in Mexico.  In his spare time, Speer enjoys CrossFit training and instructing classes in Martial Arts both in Arlington and Fort Worth.