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Officers from OPS, the Macomb Police Department and Illinois State Police meet with WIU students at the recent Coffee with a Cop series on campus.
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Office of Public Safety: To Protect and To Serve #CampusSafetyAwarenessMonth

September 8, 2016

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MACOMB, IL -- For 60 years, the men and women of Western Illinois University's Office of Public Safety (OPS) have made it their mission, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, to maintain safety and security on Western's Macomb campus.

OPS started as Campus Safety and Security in 1956, replacing the night watchman era that was part of campus for many years. The department, currently led by Director and former Rock Island Police Department Chief Scott Harris, employs 24 full-time sworn police officers.

Since the department's inception in 1956, more than 110 police officers have worked for OPS, including the first female law enforcement officer in the area. Today, OPS strives to be a leader in diversity, Harris noted, and currently employs four female police officers.

"Campus police departments differ from that of a city or county department. While we will handle many of the same types of calls, our population is condensed to a much smaller region. The University community is a city within a city," Harris said. "It is our job to make sure that the Western Illinois University campus is safe and secure for our members and our many visitors."

In addition to routine patrols, OPS dispatches officers to the street on foot and bicycles, as well as in the residence halls. While law and order is the department's mission first and foremost, Western's police officers perform a variety of duties including sponsoring educational programming for University organizations and groups, safe escorts on campus during the evening hours, security at athletic events, traffic control, non-emergency hospital transport, conducting building safety checks and supervising student patrol and emergency medical services on campus.

Like officers from city and county agencies, OPS officers attend a 12-week training academy before earning their badges. Western's officers are classified as civil servants and must first pass a state exam before joining the force.

"We understand the students, and we understand their issues and concerns," Harris added. "While a majority of the community sees us as a resource and benefit to the community, there may be some individuals who may see us as a hindrance, or here to make their lives difficult, but in reality, we are here to help. We want to see the students here succeed. We choose this line of work because we feel a sense of duty to our community. We try to get voluntary compliance in our policing style, but we will most certainly apprehend those who break the law and disturb the peace within our community."

The Office of Public Safety can be reached at (309) 298-1949 for non-emergencies, and 9-1-1 for emergencies. Individuals can also email OPS at OPS@wiu.edu. For more information, visit wiu.edu/safety and follow OPS on Facebook at facebook.com/wiupd.

Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
Office of University Communications & Marketing