Student Division

University Park, PA – With Fall Semester classes in session and the Nittany Lions football season on the horizon, University Police Student Division is playing a significant role in traffic and security efforts on campus.
University Police employs some 225 student officers annually in three separate divisions—Security and Traffic, Residence Hall Security, and the Escort Service.
“The Student Division provides a wide range of non-law enforcement services that allow us to free up police officers to perform law enforcement functions,” Thomas R. Harmon, director of University Police, said.
“Use of the student officers also allows us to perform a great deal of traffic and security patrol functions in a cost-effective manner. Frankly, we couldn’t handle all the events and day-to-day work that has to be done without them. They really are an essential part of our operation.”
Student officers in the Security and Traffic division are primarily involved in special event management at the Bryce Jordan Center, Eisenhower Auditorium and Recreation Building. They complement full-time parking enforcement and assist in providing general security to and around building on campus. They also play a key role in moving 100,000 people onto and off campus during football Saturdays.
“They are an integral part of University Police in that they provide a significant amount of eyes and ears for us,” said Stephen Shelow, himself a former student officer and currently assistant director of University Police for security and support services.
“Their support is natural and fits into the structure of University Police. We view them as critical in nature because of what they do.”
Shelow served as a member of what was known as the Student Auxiliary from 1984 to 1988 when he joined University Police as a full-time officer He holds a bachelor’s degree in administration of justice and a master of public administration degree.
He said the Residence Hall Security division involves both uniformed and non-uniformed officers whose primary responsibility is to provide security. Those in uniform move across campus checking on locked doors and protecting against security breaches in the residence halls. Non-uniformed employees are stationed in lobbies of coed residence halls. Coverage is provided from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. seven days a week.
Shelow, whose responsibilities include supervising the Student Division, said University Police have operated the Escort Service for more than 10 years. Previously, it was a student volunteer service.
“If anyone who has to walk on campus at night wants an escort, they can call 865-WALK,” he said. “We will send a non-uniformed employee to escort them. It is a dusk-to-dawn operation 365 days a year, and we range from 2,000 to 6,000 calls annually. It’s often a cyclical pattern depending on local situations.”
According to Shelow, approximately 40 percent of the student officers are looking to a career in law enforcement, while the majority are simply interested in meaningful student employment.
Bruce Kline, assistant director of University Police for administrative services, didn’t have law enforcement in mind when he joined the Student Auxiliary while an undergraduate in the 1970s. But he became a sergeant and he, and three other fellow students from Berks County who rose to officer ranks, have gone on to successful law enforcement careers in Pennsylvania.
“While the Student Division provides career training for future law enforcement officers, that is not its primary function,” he said. “We don’t require student officers to be administration of justice majors. A majority are from a variety of other majors. In fact, I joined as a computer science major and graduated in business.
“At the same time, we provide an opportunity for administration of justice majors to do their internships with University Police. Because they receive more sophisticated training in their major, we do use them in more sophisticated ways. They get valuable law enforcement experience and we benefit from them. We also recruit full-time officers from that group.”