The Ohio State University Police Division (OSUPD) welcomed two new sworn officers to the force with its pinning ceremony on February 17, 2023. Officers Nobin Rahut and Kevin Krasa, both Ohio State grads, received their OSUPD badge.
Rahut and Krasa are the last of 11 total officers hired by OSUPD in 2022. The department still has a handful of vacancies as it pushes toward staffing up to its full authorized strength of 70 sworn police officers, a sharp increase from years past.
Officer Rahut was born in Jhapa, Nepal and moved to the Buckeye state in 2012. He earned his bachelor’s degree at Ohio State in criminal justice and psychology, and is now working toward earning his master’s from Bowling Green State University in criminal justice administration.
Rahut said becoming an OSUPD officer is a huge accomplishment for him.
“When I was a student here, it was extremely welcoming,” Rahut said. “I never felt like I was out of place or anything, so I wanted to continue to work in that environment. That’s why I chose to be here.”
Rahut explained that being a recent grad will give him an upper hand in understanding problems students might face.
“I was a student here like two years ago, so I can see problems from their perspective,” he said. “I think being young and a student recently will help me understand how they’re feeling and why they’re feeling a certain way. Rather than judging them, I’ll be able to think of their problem as mine.”
Officer Krasa is an Ohio native from Toledo. He earned his associate degree in criminal justice from Owens Community College and his bachelor’s degree, also in criminal justice, from Ohio State.
Officer Krasa has worked as a probation officer for the Delaware County Juvenile Court since 2017 and the pinning ceremony was a humbling experience.
“I’m super excited,” Krasa said. ”Seven years ago, I was on a date with my wife and I looked at her and I said, ‘I’m going to be a police officer at Ohio State one day.’ So, seeing it come to fruition is very cool.”
Getting to serve the university community that helped shape him is something Krasa has looked forward to.
“I loved Ohio State when I came here,” he said. ”I loved working for student safety. and I just love everything about campus life, sports, everything. I really wanted to be part of the university and community and push the community police aspect, getting out of my cruiser, talking to people and building relationships.”
The pinning ceremony marks an end to seven months spent training at the Columbus Division of Police Training Academy, learning everything from criminal law, to handling calls for those experiencing a mental health crisis. Now, the newly sworn-in officers will spend at least 14-weeks training with a field officer before being assigned to solo patrol.