This experience greatly changed my perspective of campus law enforcement as it showed me they were much more than just uniformed harassers with badges who were hell bent on making our lives miserable. No, they were genuine people who could be caring, committed and counted on. They could be a friend – and in this case – even downright heroic.
There are a couple of key lessons I would like you to take away from this unforgettable experience of mine.
First, frontline officers need to take pride in their work and understand they truly can make a difference. However, they need to interact with those who populate their campuses and get to know the lay of the land. As with city beat cops, only through relationship building and intelligence gathering can campus police gain trust among the law abiding and insight into those involved in illicit activities.
Second, administrators who hold the purse strings to campus funding need to realize that many campus police officers go above and beyond the call of duty and are respected figures in their purview. They should not be simply reduced to faceless, interchangeable numbers that can be cut or added on a whim. In addition, if they have ingratiated themselves into the fabric of the campus, it may be inviting trouble to remove them.
Again, I don’t know what that campus police officer said or did to my perpetrator or his sidekicks, but they never again bothered me. On behalf of students everywhere, I salute all the hardworking campus officers who help protect us from life’s bad apples.
Scott Goldfine is the editor-in-chief of Campus Safety. He can be reached at [email protected].
