PHILADELPHIA – In early 2009, Drexel University will have a 28-officer police force, according to senior associate vice president for Public Safety Domenic Ceccanechio.
Ceccanechio, who has worked for the Philadelphia Police Department and the Pennsylvania State University Police Department, plans to combine what he learned at both organizations. He said the public safety department at the university needs to grow because the student population on campus has almost doubled in the last 10 years.
Currently, the university has uniformed security officers who cannot make arrests; however, with the new program, which will cost around $2.5 million, officers will have the power to arrest. Additionally, two off-duty Philadelphia police offers will monitor the campus community.
According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, three-quarters of campus safety departments nationwide hire sworn police officers.
