Editor's note: This is the first part in a two-part series on pay and training differences with Muncie and university police.
They patrol what amounts to a small city, but there’s nothing small about the long hours of training that campus police have to complete in order to carry their badges — requirements that often exceed those in the surrounding city of Muncie.
“The officers are always expanding their knowledge and their abilities,” said Lt. David Bell of Ball State’s University Police Department. “We have some officers who have over 200 hours of training. It definitely prepares those in our department for a wide range of scenarios.”
The University Police Department and others like it around the country have a come a long way from the days when many schools simply hired security guards. Today, they’re sworn officers – and like police everywhere, their role sometimes falls into sharp public focus.
This summer an officer at the University of Cincinnati shot an unarmed man during a routine traffic stop and was charged with murder.
A dozen years ago at Ball State, a UPD police officer shot and killed an unarmed student while responding to a reported burglary. The officer had been on the force for seven months and had not gone for training at the law enforcement academy yet.
The incidents highlight both the critical nature of routine law enforcement situations and the importance of training those who can suddenly be thrust into dynamic life and death incidents.
Just to become an officer in Indiana, a person must attend the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy for a mandated 40-hour training course. Beyond that, Ball State officers must also complete 80 hours of field training before carrying a weapon or making an arrest.
State law also requires 24 additional training hours each year, which can be in a variety of areas.
“Campus police and city police attend the same academy for basic training,” said Michael Lindsay, deputy director of the law enforcement academy. “Thereafter, each department is largely responsible for the in-service training provided.”
In their annual training, officers are able to choose which classes or programs they wish to attend, as long as there are two hours covering firearms, two in emergency vehicle operations and two in physical (defensive) tactics, Lindsay said.
Neither the University Police Department nor Muncie Police Department have additional training requirements beyond the 24 in-service hours mandated by the state.
UPD officers, however, rarely receive fewer than 75 hours of in-service training in a calendar year, and most are training beyond the required hours, Bell said.
Because of minimal available funds, most MPD officers, on the other hand, do not go far beyond the 24 in-service hours.
MPD Chief Stewart said that while his officers are well-trained, there could always be room for more training beyond what is required.
“I would love to offer more training opportunities for my officers, it’s just a matter of figuring out how we can get the resources to make these things happen,” Stewart said.
Perhaps because of the training that university police receive, incidents like those at Cincinnati or in Muncie a dozen years ago are rare. For the most part, patrols on campus are routine, with most crimes involving minor alcohol offenses, according to the annual Campus Crime Report.
Typical Day
Ball State police always have at least three officers on duty at all times, and Lt. David Bell of Ball State’s UPD said most calls typically are non-violent.
“It’s uncommon for us to get calls that are very violent or require much force of any kind,” Bell said. “But that in no way means that our [officers] aren’t prepared for anything that could come their way.”
While the jurisdiction for university police covers the campus and surrounding streets (Jackson McGalliard /Wheeling Tillotson), MPD is responsible for calls throughout all corporate limits of the city.
For Muncie police officers, the day shift — which runs from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. — is the busiest time of day, MPD Chief Steve Stewart said.
On an average day, MPD officers report that some areas of the city can bring in more than 15 calls per shift.
Most calls MPD responds to are related to welfare checks, domestic issues and drugs, Stewart said.
“We definitely get calls to a wide variety of incidents,” Stewart said. “There might be a day here or there where there just isn’t much going on, but that’s pretty rare for the ones working the day shift.”
Although officers end their shift at 11 p.m., Stewart said it’s very common — if not expected, at times — to be at the station past midnight.
“There are so many calls coming in during one shift that it can be hard for [officers] to get reports and paperwork done while they’re actually on the go,” Stewart said. “It can definitely get busy around here.”
While Stewart said MPD may stay busier and have responsibility for “more serious calls,” Bell said it doesn’t take away from the capabilities and skills that UPD officers maintain.
“There’s nothing bad that should be said about Muncie police, not at all. We work very well with MPD and their officers, especially when we need to help each other out,” Bell said. “But [university officers] are each just as capable and trained as those in Muncie.”
Training
Since the shooting by Ball State UPD in 2002, Bell said officers have continued to undergo extensive annual training through in-service hours, and the department passed a second CALEA accreditation evaluation in 2011.
“Our department has high standards, but we work hard and we work well with other university organizations, with students, with the community, with the Muncie police – we all have to work together,” Bell said.
The university pays for all training UPD officers receive, including extra hours beyond those required.
While both police departments usually receive their 24 in-service hours at the academy, UPD also has field training officers on site who often help officers get those extra hours.
“We have a lot of very well-trained officers in this department,” Bell said. “Our field training officers are able to lead sessions to complete in-service requirements, and, in the past, we’ve had university officers and MPD officers train together.”
Bell said the Ball State police department has specialized units in the area of detectives, K-9 and bicycle patrol. Officers have “developed expertise” in various areas that range from criminal investigations and community policing to drug recognition and chemical weapons, Bell said.
Additionally, Bell said the department doesn’t stop at the “really physical” aspects of training. While working on such a diverse campus, he said it’s important that officers are prepared for any situation, including those that may require more verbal and culturally sensitive skills.
“Our officers are trained to be able to approach all different kinds of individuals with many different types of backgrounds,” Bell said. “[The officers] are constantly being encouraged to go to different programs and events to interact with all kinds of students on campus, and we’ve teamed up with [the] Multicultural Center to get training for different situations and people as well.”
Bell said while most officers are documenting three to five times more hours than are required, it’s at the will of each individual.
“We don’t force anyone to do more training or in-service hours,” Bell said. “These officers take great initiative to better themselves and the jobs that they’re doing.”
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