Monica Moll, director of public safety at The Ohio State University, recently sat on a forum to speak about campus safety. Held by The Chronicle of Higher Education, Moll was joined by Oregon State University Chief of Police Shanon Anderson and Steven Healy, CEO of The Healy Group.
“It’s great to take part in forums and connect with other public safety officials to share ideas and foster collaboration with other universities,” said Moll. “We touched on the role social media plays in perception versus reality when it comes to crime, and it’s interesting to hear how other officials deal with these topics.”
The forum covered topics from how public safety officials can better connect with students to how universities in metro areas work with their local police departments to keep all students, on and off campus, safe.
A recent study conducted by The Chronicle of Higher Education found that 60% of campus-safety officers and other administrators reported that their college was working more closely with local law enforcement and the community to help prevent crime on their campus and in surrounding areas.
“One of the big parts of our jobs is strengthening the relationship our officers have with the student body and The Columbus Division of Police (CPD),” said Moll. “Luckily, Ohio State hosts plenty of large events that CPD and other surrounding partners assist with, so we get a lot of hands-on practice working directly with other organizations.”
The Ohio State University Police Division (OSUPD) has a Community Engagement Team that focuses on outreach and education to enhance the safety of students, faculty and staff. The division also has a Joint Patrol program, which allows OSUPD officers to be partnered with a CPD officer to patrol and respond to the immediate off-campus area.