As campus police searches for a new police chief and officers, the safety of students on campus remains unchanged, according to Executive Director of University Services Kinney Bryant.
“We’re definitely not doing anything to jeopardize the safety of the student, faculty or staff,” Bryant said. “Safety is our number one priority.”
After a few previous officers left, the Oklahoma Christian University Campus Police Department is searching for new members to add to the police force on campus.
“We’ve got weekend security guards coming and that’s working fine, but it’s not like having a regular crew,” Bryant said. “With a new police chief, we’ll be able to rebuild that group.”
The use of security guards is a temporary solution to the under staffing of officers for the department, but it does not decrease the amount of safety on campus, according to Bryant.
Bryant said Oklahoma Christian is temporarily outsourcing licensed armed security guards from two security companies that require the same CLEET certification as the Campus Police Department.
“They have to go through the same school and they license them to be licensed armed security guards,” Bryant said. “There are different levels: security guard, armed security guard and then police officer. It’s a four-month academy and they go through that and become commissioned police officers.”
Security guards and armed security guards are not classified to drive the marked campus police vehicles and will be driving the campus security vehicle, according to Bryant. One company’s armed security officers are specifically assigned to guard The Museum of the Bible Sacra Pagina exhibit during the weekends.
Bryant said various factors have resulted in the delayed rebuild of the campus police force.
“In today’s environment, all police departments are not having the influxes that it used to,” Bryant said. “[Officers] are a unique breed and it’s not for everybody. So, we’re just going through a transition time.”
Bryant said the Board of Trustees policy requires all officers in the Campus Police Department to be CLEET certified and active members of the Church of Christ.
“Part of [the delay] is that we require for our officers to be members of the Church of Christ and that’s hard to find,” Bryant said.
In the meantime, Bryant said the campus police would maintain their responsibilities to the campus.
“We’re here for customer service and to protect the campus, which we feel like we are still doing that,” Bryant said. “We have a mutual understanding agreement with Oklahoma City Police Department for certain levels of incidents, where we call them and they respond to those and take over the scene. So, we’re more monitoring than we are actually enforcing laws.”
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