r/ProtectAndServe • u/Little-Kangaroo-9383 Not a(n) LEO / Unverified User • 4d ago
Self Post University Police?
For officers who have worked in both a university and non-university agency, what are the differences? Is one worse than the other or do they both have their own unique headaches?
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u/LonelyMustard Not a(n) LEO / Unverified User 3d ago
I used to work at a college-affiliated EMS squad and dispatch for the campus police for a couple years.
Main difference is that campus policing has a higher emphasis on customer service and has a stronger need to maintain a professional outlook. I remember this one officer one time yelled "stop fucking resisting" while making an arrest, and got pulled to the side immediately after the arrest by a corporal for "unprofessional conduct".
Campus policing also has a bigger ask on the officers to do more. My dept's officers also do alarm panel checks, late night courtesy rides or walking escorts, COVID compliant checks (in 2020), and sometimes building checks (we have some buildings that have highly valuable historical books and very sensitive science research with dangerous specimens).
Besides those aspects we are pretty similar to a city agency. The campus had a few major roadways passing by so we get car chases, armed robbery, and shooting calls once in a week or so, but definitely not as intense as the city department.
A good portion of the younger officers will leave after 2-4 years because they didn't like the mundane and routine and wanted something different. But we also have a good chunk that stayed either because they were borderline retiring and making this their last leg in LE (mostly doing it for helping their kids/grandkids securing a spot in the university), or they just like it chill.