Members of the University of Maryland, Baltimore Police Department (UMBPD) command staff are rarely chosen to be a monthly spotlight officer, but Lt. Todd Ring’s exceptional work over the past several months earned him a nomination from UMBPD leadership. 

Ring, the lieutenant for training and education, worked with partners from the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Radiological Security and the Baltimore Police Department (BPD) to conduct a Radiological Security Awareness and Response Exercise in late September. The exercise enhances officers’ abilities to respond safely and properly in the unlikely event of an irradiator emergency. 

The lieutenant also has played a pivotal role in securing individual first aid kits for all police officers. These kits include essential life-saving materials, bleeding control, and major wound treatments. 

Ring spent 24 years with BPD before joining UMBPD four years ago. While with BPD, he helped to overhaul its bomb squad. Ring used those lessons to modernize UMBPD’s training section. 

“Completing any difficult and long-term assignment is memorable,” Ring says. Big projects require lots of prioritization, so Ring says he writes everything down, tracks his actions, and constantly follows up. 

Ring says he became an officer to protect those who can’t protect themselves. “My favorite part of being an officer is the response when I’m able to help someone,” Ring says. “Especially if they were expecting sub-par customer service,” he adds. 

Education is important to Ring, who is currently enrolled in the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law and says he “enjoys doing homework.” He advises his fellow students to “stop looking at your phone while you’re walking” — which is good advice to stay safe on campus! In the future, he hopes to teach.

Ring is known within UMBPD for his excellent sense of humor. When asked for a “fun fact” that he wants readers to know about him, he replied, “You can put Bob Dylan, Sam Cooke, and Black Sabbath in the same playlist.”