Newsmaker: Greg Giltner

Every week, Talon News interviews a member of the Oklahoma Christian University community, a “Newsmaker,” to answer questions about their role on campus.

On October 6, Talon News interviewed Chief of Campus police, Greg Giltner.

What is your favorite aspect of working with Oklahoma Christian University?

“Coming from the Oklahoma City Police Department, it was not a Christian environment. I enjoyed coming to work in a Christian atmosphere, having other people that pray, you know. I didn’t get that in Oklahoma City. So, the atmosphere here is altogether different. So I absolutely love coming to work.”

What is one of the biggest challenges as the chief of campus police?

“My biggest challenge is competing with the two highest paid police departments in the state, Edmond being the highest paid Police Department, Oklahoma City being the second highest paid Police Department. We’re nestled right between them, so I try to hire good people, and in doing so, I can’t compete with the salaries they offer. That’s probably the biggest challenge.”

How does campus police work to build trust and relationships with students?

“My main job is safety, but I also encourage my officers to do PR stuff, to get out and mingle. They’re doing a pretty good job of doing that right now. If you guys watch those two officers after chapel, the basketball players, the volleyball players, are high fiving them. They actually show up for all the games on their days off. My night shift guy actually came out and played pickleball the other day.”

What are your main priorities on campus and how do you assess new or evolving risks on campus?

“Today’s a perfect example; Dallas Jenkins is here. Not only is Dallas Jenkins here, the Lieutenant Governor is also here. So, I brought in all my officers, plus four of my reserves. If you see the Oklahoma City officer running around, that’s my son. I wanted him on campus because he graduated from here, so he knows the buildings. If something were to happen, he has access to Oklahoma City [police] on his radio.”

What is a way you implement your faith at the police station?

“In my last four years at Oklahoma City, I was a full time chaplain. and I still do Chaplain duties for the police department. A lot of times I’ll have students come into my office that have an issue, so I’ll take off my chief hat, and I’ll put on a chaplain hat. I served as an elder for 21 years so sometimes I’ll put on my elder hat, but sometimes it’s just a dad hat, or for you guys, it’s a  grandpa’s hat. My sergeant Doss, when I come in, he’s always got his Bible open. He and his whole family were baptized a month ago. I try to create an environment for the officers and anybody that comes in and feels welcome.

What are some of the most frequent problems campo deals with, regarding safety on campus?

“To my knowledge, I’ve not had a car broken into where glass is broken and somebody got in. But, I can sit and watch a camera and watch a guy go car to car, but if they’re locked, they will go to the next car. Phase six is notorious for leaving cars unlocked. We watched people with flashlights going through cars, taking laptops, guns, money, all that. My biggest problems are unlocked vehicles and doors. We have a bit of a problem with students propping doors open, then they get left open. I can assure you that I can keep campus safe if we have locked doors”.