It makes sense that a campus safety officer’s job is to maintain a safe campus environment.

Less ambiguity between the job title and job description is what Director of Campus Saftety Kevin Tierney hoped to achieve when he initiated the name change from security officer (Office of Protective Services) to safety officer (Office of Campus Safety).

“It’s a more accurate reflection of our philosophy, which is student-centered; we are part of the Division of Student Affairs and advocate for students,” said Tierney. “Protective services doesn’t say anything about working on a college campus.”

                                            _{^{Kevin Tierney}}

Tierney came to Keuka one year ago with more than 20 years law enforcement experience. An alumnus of Mansfield (Pa.) University, Tierney worked “just about every position there is in a police department, including chief.” He also worked in campus safety at two other Pennsylvania colleges.  

At one of those colleges, in the early 90s, he created a student officer program as a way for students studying criminal justice to observe officers, deal with situations, learn how to interact with people, and be safe—“a lot of things you can’t learn by taking courses,” said Tierney.

When Tierney related this program to sophomore criminology/criminal justice major Stephanie Jones, who conducted a Field Period with the office this summer, she wanted to help establish a similar program at Keuka.

“I thought students would be helpful handling the clerical-type work and acting as first responders [to situations],” said the Dundee native.

She assisted in writing a job description for the student safety officer position, which included a list of responsibilities and policies to follow.

She also served as a dispatcher and had the opportunity to do rounds with officers.

“Working in the office prepared me for the type of structure and environment I’ll face as a cop,” said Jones, who aspires to become an investigator. “Everything is in military time and there are confidentiality rules. Dispatching calls requires knowing codes. I also processed tickets and learned about New York state and federal laws, especially about New York state penal law and what constitutes criminal acts on campus that wouldn’t be [criminal acts] off campus—and vice versa.”

                                               ^{Stephanie Jones}

Jones also worked on a campus safety advocate program for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault during the Field Period.

She is one of four students serving as student safety officers this semester. In that capacity, she is responsible for assisting with locking up and patrolling academic buildings and assisting students who are locked out of residence halls.

“Two students are strictly patrol and work in the library,” said Jones. Adam McCarthy, a junior accounting major from Himrod, is the other student officer.

“Next year the position will include certifications in first aid and CPR,” said Jones. “My goal, by the time I graduate, is that we have five to 10 student officers.”

Tierney said that at the college in Pennsylvania, student officers were brought on board freshman year and worked all four years. He hopes the same happens at Keuka.

“It goes right along with Keuka’s commitment to experiential learning,” said Tierney. “It’s another avenue for students to further develop their skills.”

Another recent change in campus safety is the uniforms donned by the officers.

“They are less rigid, easier on the officers,” said Tierney of the yellow polo shirts and green khaki pants. “Policing used to be a paramilitary-type operation and that’s how officers dressed—like members of the military. But policing is changing, becoming more people and community focused, proactive rather than reactive.”

Additionally, the uniforms make the officers “highly visible to people who work and live here and know who the officers are, but also people coming on to campus for the first time,” according to Tierney.

In the next three to five years, Tierney would like to install cameras at the doors to the campus buildings to better monitor who goes in and out. Residence halls are already equipped with card readers for entrance to the locked buildings.

But ,Tierney said, “Safety is everybody’s responsibility.

“Vigilance is key. If you see someone who is not part of our community hanging around campus, alert campus safety.”

He also said students need to refrain from propping locked doors.  

In emergencies, Tierney said it is campus safety’s job to communicate with outside agencies and figure out what needs to be done to get the College back to operating procedure.

Said Tierney: “It is our job to take care of our community and play that communicative role.”