Campus Safety Officers assist MUPD with security
MUPD officers are full time employees, but CSO's are typically students.
Published March 9, 2009
On campus, the MU Police Department is not the only organization protecting the health and safety of students and faculty. Campus Safety Officers also have a hand in ensuring safety across campus.
Although CSO and MUPD both have the primary purpose of protecting the campus, there are some differences between the two. The first major difference is the CSO program is composed of students working part time to provide security for MU's campus and assisting MUPD, CSO Sgt. Jerry Armentrout said.
MUPD is a law enforcement agency, which means it has more responsibilities than CSO. An MUPD officer is responsible for tasks including collecting evidence, making arrests and responding to various cases, ranging from calls for help to noise violations. CSO does none of the above, but it still assists MUPD in some aspects.
"They're a great help to MUPD and are pertinent to the University of Missouri community," MUPD Capt. Brian Weimer said. "While MUPD is a full-time law enforcement agency, we still couldn't protect the campus the way we do without the help of CSO's."
A student with CSO works in one of three different units for the campus: Residential Life, Special Events and Special Operations.
An officer who works in Residential Life is responsible for providing security in residence halls. The officer makes sure doors stay locked and screens people who need to gain entry into the residence halls. These shifts generally run from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m., Armentrout said. The officers are also on the lookout for potential illegal activity. They call the police if they feel something suspicious is occurring.
A student with CSO who works in the Special Events unit provides security for sporting and non-sporting events at places, such as the Hearnes Center and Faurot Field. Duties include traffic detail and parking. The officers also provide security at other special events such as concerts and high school competitions.
A Special Operations officer conducts the same duties as an officer who works in the Residential Life Unit, except the officer provides security for Jesse Hall and the Sinclair School of Nursing, according to the CSO Web site. Duties include locking doors and screening those who request entry to special events in Jesse Auditorium.
Anyone interested can become an officer. Being an officer is not restricted for those who are interested in working for a law enforcement agency or for those who are interested in the study of criminal justice. Although the majority of officers are students, being one is not a requirement. A person has to be at least 18 years old, pass a background check and not have had any prior convictions, Armentrout said.
Any motivated person who seeks to improve communication or leadership skills can apply.
"A person who is attentive, wants to help others and has the ability to handle what can be a stressful job would make a good CSO," Armentrout said. "What a CSO needs to do is get the job done well and to do what you're told. They need to be disciplined."