Federal grant gives UTPD six more officers

The UT police department will station six new officers in key buildings across campus next year with the help of a $450,000 federal grant. The department is considering several buildings for extra police presence, including Jester, the Union and the Student Services Building.

Stationed officers in residence halls and colleges would be a change for a department tucked on the east side of Memorial Stadium. University Police Chief Jeffrey Van Slyke said the new officers will go a long way toward improving the department's relationship with students.

"The police building itself is kind of off the beaten path, and traditionally, you've got police officers in cars, and there's this perception that they're inaccessible," Van Slyke said. "Having an officer in a specific area like that ... really brings some good exposure for the police and the students to connect."

There are several ways to use the officers, and concrete plans on how to field the community officers will probably not be made until late this semester, Van Slyke said.

Jester could have an officer stationed at a desk during day and night shifts, while other officers may be responsible for smaller sets of buildings. Input from administrators, current police officers and the new police oversight committee will determine where the officers will be most effective, Van Slyke said.

Student Government President Brian Haley praised the new program as an opportunity for the department to work with the oversight committee but held reservations on where officers would be stationed.

"There's ways to do police presence without infringing on freedom that already exists for students," Haley said.

An officer stationed next to Health Services may deter students with a drug problem from seeking treatment, he said.

"When we place police on campus, we have to be careful where we place them and not just randomly put them in buildings because we think it will be safer," he said. "There are repercussions to where you station the police."

Doug Garrard, associate director of the Division of Housing and Food, said the increased police presence could allow the officers to become a larger part of the residence hall community.

"They get an opportunity to meet and interact with students on a different level than if they were in the halls just doing business," he said.

The grant money, awarded in June as part of the U.S. Department of Justice program Community Oriented Policing Services, will be spread over three years, allowing the University to transition into paying the new officer salaries.

The grant is especially helpful now as an aging squad has added retirees to regular turnover, Van Slyke said. Eight officers have left since last spring, either opting for retirement or early retirement benefits or transferring to a different department, he said.

Campus police have 54 of 60 budgeted peace officer positions filled. It will be a year before six cadets enrolled in police academy can be fully fielded in their community policing roles, Van Slyke said.

The University is not at risk for low coverage with the current number of officers, Van Slyke said.

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