The Department of Public Safety has pursued more effectivetraining practices to better serve the Ball State community since21-year-old Michael McKinney was shot and killed a year ago by arookie police officer.
"I believe it will benefit Ball State," Gene Burton, director ofpublic safety, said. "Any time you can improve the training yougive officers, it will lead to better service for thecommunity."
University Police officer Robert Duplain shot and killedMcKinney on the morning of Nov. 8, 2003.
At the time of McKinney's death, Duplain had seven months of lawenforcement experience. His pre-basic training consisted of 24hours of classroom instruction, eight hours of firearm training andeight hours of physical defensive tactics. It was not until Aprilthat Duplain graduated from the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy,which consisted of 600 hours of classroom and practical skillsincluding emergency vehicle operation, firearm proficiency,physical tactics and applying the law to real-life situations.After Duplain graduated, he returned to work for the first timesince November and was reassigned to the detective division of theUniversity Police Department.
Heather Shupp, executive director of university communications,said to ensure that police officers are better trained while onpatrol, the university announced significant changes to its newofficer training protocol in December. The protocol requiredofficers who are not academy-trained to patrol with a moreexperienced officer until they attend the Indiana Law EnforcementAcademy. If the officer completes field training before space isavailable in the academy, the officer will patrol and respond tocalls with an experienced officer, according to a December pressrelease.
Field training has also been expanded from 14 to 21 weeks toinclude two weeks of core training, two weeks of investigationtraining, 15 weeks of work on all three shifts, and two weeks ofwork on the first assigned shift, according to the press release.During field training, all officers are trained in the use of allequipment issued or approved by the police department, includingchemical defensive spray, the release said.
Shupp said the new protocol has also put in place a three-monthperiod after academy graduation in which an officer works in thecompany of a more experienced officer.
Burton said the department's enhanced field training programwill be effective because it will better prepare rookie officersfor patrol and at the same time not hinder the quality of work theDepartment of Public Safety is able to perform daily.
"When we consider staffing levels, we take the field trainingprogram into account, so that doesn't affect our manpower and howwe're able to do our job," Burton said.
Shupp said in the spring, the university purchased Tasers forall officers, which provides an additional less-than-lethal optionthat officers carry whenever they are on duty. Overall, theDepartment of Public Safety's training practices throughout thepast year have significantly improved its service, she said.
"At the time of the (McKinney) incident, the training werequired officers to receive prior to patrolling alone far exceededwhat is required by the state of Indiana. With the new protocol inplace, our training requirements are far more extensive than thoseof any other university we know of," Shupp said.
Throughout the past year there has been some turnover on theUniversity Police force, Shupp said. Burton said five officers arecurrently in training, with three just beginning the department'sfield training program. All of them are already academy certified,Shupp said. Two new officers are also currently attending theacademy, Burton said.
Shupp said to continue striving for improvement, the Departmentof Public Safety is seeking accreditation this fall by one of thetop law enforcement commissions in the nation. The Commission onAccreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, based in Fairfax, Va.,has accredited 600 police agencies, including only 47 campus lawenforcement departments, she said.
Shupp said all of the Department of Public Safety's efforts areworking continually to provide comprehensive police protection oncampus and in the neighborhoods near campus where many Ball Statestudents live.
"The safety of our students is of the utmost importance to us,and the campus police and all university staff work constantly tomaintain and enhance safety," Shupp said. "University crimeprevention and education efforts that raise awareness of variousrisks -- from date rape to illegal or excessive use of alcohol totheft -- are important components of promoting safety on campus. Soare students' efforts to support and protect one another."
Senior Elizabeth Douglass said, like many students, she is gladthe Department of Public Safety has established more effectivepractices to serve the Ball State community.
"When I heard the police officer (Duplain) wasn't trained lastyear, I was wondering if he took the necessary precautions tohandle the incident. If you go to the academy and are trainedprofessionally, you'll know if what you're doing is moral andright," she said.
Douglass said since McKinney's death, students in general seemto be more careful this year than they have in the past,particularly when they go out to drink on the weekends.
"People are more cautious because of what happened," Douglasssaid.
Like Douglass, sophomore Steven Olson said the Department ofPublic Safety's new protocols could significantly benefit theuniversity. But students still have to play their part to ensuretheir safety by conducting themselves responsibly, he said.
"As much as the police officer was at fault, I think it waspartly the student's fault as well," Olson said.
Olson said he remembers the animosity some students had towardthe police department after McKinney's death last year and saidwhile some of it is still prevalent, much of it has declined overtime.
"I still think there's a general disliking or lack of respectfor the police department," he said. "But in general I think it'sstill died down.
Burton said he believes the department's relationship withstudents has been generally positive.
"In our job sometimes we come in contact with students not inthe best of conditions," Burton said. "But for the most part wehave good relationships with students."
Sophomore Gennie Nguyen, however, said she has noticed agenerally negative attitude toward the police department,particularly after the university's "Police Yourself" campaign lastspring, which targeted underage drinkers.
"It went from they're protecting us to they're out to get us,"Nguyen said. "Overall, students seem to have less respect for thepolice department."
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