University of Virginia Library

At Blandy Farm

Campus Police Officers Swap Advice, Problems

By TIM WHEELER

BOYCE, VA.–Amid the
lush flora and fauna of the
University's Blandy
Experimental Farm near
Winchester, 26 of the state's
institutional police officers
from nine state universities and
colleges gathered last week to
share their common problems
and, hopefully, to arrive at
some answers to the question
of how to provide better
protection for students and
property on the campuses of
Virginia's colleges.

Co-sponsored by the
University's and VPI
police departments and funded
t rough an LEAA grant, about
100 police officers from 11
campuses throughout the state
will have spent a week studying
and learning, surrounded by
the over 5000 exotic and
ornamental plants, shrubs and
trees which comprise the
Orland E. White
Research Arboretum.

Last Week

Jointly organized by
VPISU's Security Chief I. E.
Nichols and the University's
Wade W. Bromwell, about 25
officers from around the state
have been meeting in one-week
sessions for the past three
weeks. Next week is the
fourth, and last, of the police
conference.

The week's program is
designed to improve police
procedures among the various
campus police forces attending
and afford through personal
interaction some opportunities
for mutual benefit from the
practices and experiences of
the various police departments.
Among the many topics
covered in the week-long series
of seminars are: interrogation,
investigation, the criminal code
of Virginia, community
relations, social psychology
and campus-related problems.

Meeting At Scenic Blandy Farm, Officers From Nine State Schools Discussed Mutual Concerns

The lecturers and seminar
leaders included FBI personnel,
the Virginia State Police and a
juvenile court judge, as well as
college administrators. From
the University last week, were
presidential assistant William
A. Elwood and Fourth-year
student Janet Plamer, who was
also the only female in
attendance. There were no
woman officers from any of
the nine schools attending that
week.

The informal relaxed
atmosphere at the farm
encouraged lively discussion
last Wednesday as the officers
shared the problems each faces
in performing his job at each
institution.

Question Of Identity

Chief among the concerns
voiced in the discussions
appeared to be a questioning of
their identity, of what the true
role of the police officer on a
college campus is. The
complaints and fears voiced by
police representatives from
nine other schools differed
little from the same concerns
of the University's own police
officers. Many objected that
they felt more like security
guards–"door shakers"–than
police officers, due to the
heavy load of non-police
responsibilities the various
campus police agencies are
saddled with.

Other officers complained
that they were getting no
support from the school
administration, that there was
a conflict between police
procedures and college policies.
Nearly all were in general
agreement that the schools
needed to define the role of
the campus police and then to
give the police authority
needed to fulfill its role.

"It's got to begin with the
administration," one
outspoken officer said. "With
the recognition of need. Do
they need police officers or
door openers?"

All the officers expressed a
desire to establish
professionalism within their
respective departments. Linked
with this would be more
education for campus police
officers, as well as freeing
police from minor
time-consuming duties so they
can perform as police, rather
than custodians or clerks.

The idea of working with
students was received
enthusiastically by many
officers as a way to improve
police-student relations. Other
Virginia schools have already
hired students to serve as
dispatchers and traffic patrols,
as the University Police Dept.
plans to do this fall