Carl Metzger

Carl Metzger is a public safety leader with 36 years of law enforcement experience in Central Florida, most recently as the Chief of Police for the UCF Police Department. In his current role as Associate Vice President for Public Safety, he oversees more than 130 sworn and civilian Police, Victim Services, Emergency Management, and Department of Security employees.

Since beginning his tenure as chief in 2018, Metzger has demonstrated calm, capable leadership — overseeing public safety responses to numerous hurricanes, managing the logistics of high-profile events like ESPN’s College GameDay and Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff, and guiding UCF through its expansion into the Big 12 Conference, which significantly increased the complexity of game day operations.  Additionally, Metzger focused UCF Public Safety on improving the agency’s mental health response, and the UCF Police Department became the first 100% Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) trained agency in Central Florida.  Metzger also helped found the agency’s Threat Management Team, which has become a model for other universities.  Metzger’s stated goal was to make the UCF Police Department the most professional and innovative campus police department in the country, and his efforts inarguably moved the agency close to that goal.

Before joining UCF, Metzger spent 26 years with the Orlando Police Department, working throughout the patrol, administrative services and special operations divisions while also rising in the ranks. Highlights of his time with OPD include overseeing security and traffic control operations at the Amway (now KIA) Center during the 2012 NBA All-Star Game and leading the Emergency Response Team’s crowd control efforts at the Republic National Convention in Tampa in 2012. He joined UCFPD as a deputy chief in 2014 before being promoted to chief in 2018.

Metzger is a member of the Orange Osceola County Police Chiefs Association, where he served four years as President, the Central Florida Criminal Justice Association, the Florida Police Chief’s Association, the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators, and the International Association of Chiefs of Police. He serves on the Board of Directors for the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Greater Orlando, the Central Florida CIT Advisory Council, the UCF Criminal Justice Advisory Council, and is a member of the Florida Chamber of Commerce Leadership Cabinet on Safety, Wellness, and Sustainability.  Metzger is a certified suicide prevention instructor, and he teaches CIT/suicide prevention to the agencies in Orange County.

Metzger has been recognized with numerous awards during his career, but recently he was recognized with the Mothers Against Drunk Driving Lifetime Achievement Award (2024), UCF Criminal Justice Distinguished Alumnus of the Year (2022), and the Mental Health Association Community Hero Award (2025).

Metzger earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Florida and a master’s degree in criminal justice from UCF. He is a graduate of the Drug Enforcement Administration Narcotic Commander’s Course, the Southern Police Institute’s 39th Command Officers Development Course, and the FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development Course.

Metzger is a dedicated husband of 36 years and a devoted father. An avid runner and biker, he has completed 20 marathons, 220+ half-marathons and numerous century (100-mile) bike rides, including three 250-mile Police Unity Tours, helping to raise over $35,000 for the National Law Enforcement Memorial in Washington, DC.