Steve DeDona was sworn as a UNCG Police Officer on December 4, 2000, and quickly moved up the ranks. In 2007, he was promoted to lieutenant and Supervisor of Fields Operations. In 2016, he was promoted to Captain. During his career at UNCG, he took on the responsibility of training not only the UNCG officers, but also the students, faculty and staff.
UNCG Police invite the campus community to bid Capt. DeDona a fond farewell at a reception in his honor at the Alumni House Oakley Room, on Tuesday, July 30 from 2-4 p.m. with remarks at 3:00 p.m.
Some of the programs he created and implemented include an active shooter survival course for students, staff, and faculty in 2016. This included his creation of the RUN HIDE FIGHT presentation. His first class was at Gove Health and to this day, continues to be offered to the campus students, faculty and staff. Capt. DeDona has taught more than 300 classes and received over 200 hits as part of this incredible training, including an atomic elbow drop by Chancellor Gilliam that we have on video.
Capt. DeDona also brought a dunking booth to campus during a student carnival to encourage everyone to sign up for LiveSafe in 2017, which has since been replaced with the Spartan Safe App. At this event Capt. Dedona must have been dunked a thousand times, but he significantly increased enrollment and made LiveSafe another major program for the police department.
Capt. DeDona is also known for being a great Boy Scout Leader and planning the Old Town Beer Run which benefited the NC Special Olympics as well as the UNCG Military-Affiliated Services Office. Most recently, Capt. DeDona developed and managed training programs for the UNC System Office at Samarcand Training Academy. These training programs are offered to numerous North Carolina law enforcement agencies. Capt. DeDona has also received many awards throughout his career at UNCG, most notably the 2018 Betty Hardin Award for Excellence in Business Affairs, 2023 Honorable Mention for Police Officer of the Year from the UNC System Office.
Captain DeDona knows the value of service and the benefit of community engagement. His acts of compassion are extraordinary and his commitment to the community is exemplary.
