“The University of Akron Police Department recently hired seven new officers to account for the school’s growth in the past year. Of the seven new police officers, two will serve UA’s residence halls, two will serve the Quaker Square area, and three will replace UAPD officers who have left or retired.”
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The University of Akron Police Department recently hired seven new officers to account for the school’s growth in the past year.

Of the seven new police officers, two will serve UA’s residence halls, two will serve the Quaker Square area, and three will replace UAPD officers who have left or retired.

The Department of Resident Life will finance the acquisition of the officers on dorm patrol, who will specialize in crime prevention.

The new officers are the result of a long and thorough search of the surrounding areas. Of the seven, UAPD recruited three officers from the Akron Police Department, two from the Summit County Sherriff’s Department, and one from Glen Willow Police Department, which is near Cincinnati.

None of the new officers have less than six years of law enforcement experience.

Major Marling Newt Engle said that the department advertised in local newspapers and personally made visits to various local police departments. Recruiters stressed that the UAPD had recently garnered funds to make officer wages very competitive.

But most officers do not come to the UAPD for the paycheck, according to Major Engle.

It seems like 80 percent of the time when we show up, people are glad we’re there, he said. In the city of Akron, it’s almost the opposite of that. About 80 percent of the time when they show up, they’re dealing with unhappy people.

Many officers appreciate the atmosphere of a college campus, especially an urban one such as University of Akron.

Campus police usually focus on crime prevention rather than making arrests, and they have no quotas. In the past year, arrests rates have actually decreased as the student population has soared.

Crime prevention involves many duties for UAPD officers. From holding crime awareness workshops to crowd control, the general duties include much less violent work on the part of the officers.

One example: UAPD officers sometimes leave cards on book bags left in a public place for a minute or two. The simple act shows the person how easy it would be for a stranger to steal his or her property.

In the past few years, UA’s crime rate has actually dropped with additions to the University of Akron Police Department’s force. The city’s crime rate has increased. Though arrests are down, violent party breakups and burglaries will continue to be frequently seen on police reports. A University of Akron police officer would see much less violence working on campus.

If a person wants to see how many arrests they can make and wrestle with people and break up fights, they may want to work for the city, Engle explained. Unfortunately, we have to do that every now and then, but it’s not our mainstay.

Currently the new recruits are undergoing intense training of the inner working of the campus in a course dubbed the Field Training Officer program.

Recruits learn that the difference between campus and public policing is more than many officers expect.

According to the University of Akron Police Department Web site, each new officer is teamed with a seasoned UAPD patrolman who will serve as a mentor.

After the intense acclimation period the new officers will be on their own.

For

now, the UAPD considers itself at full staff, with 40 officers.

Its current staff is one of the highest in its history because of the tremendous growth of the student community.

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