The University of Oregon Police Department is poised to take a critical next step in its evolution.
After months tuning job descriptions, compensation details and union representation, openings have been posted for police line officers.
The department is accepting applications from experienced officers or newcomers, as long as they have the right stuff for the university.
"We want excellent communicators, people with great judgment who understand and embrace the university's mission," Interim Chief Carolyn McDermed said. "Our strength is in community policing. Our officers in the field need to be prepared to serve, educate and use patience with both students and the greater community."
Application information is available online.
The postings close May 21. Applications received after that date will not be considered for the current applicant pool, which may produce between two and six hires. UOPD will host a "career night" from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. on May 7, in the EMU Ballroom, to share information with potential applicants and answer questions about the department and careers in law enforcement.
Multicultural excellence in officers is a must, on a global campus that is more diverse than many cities.
"We have students, employees and visitors from all over the U.S., all over the globe," McDermed said. "We have different languages, cultures and backgrounds to work with, but a common set of expectations for how safe and welcoming this campus should be."
As with all sworn law enforcement jobs, selecting and vetting candidates takes time. McDermed said the department expects to make offers in early October, after finalists have gone through qualifying tests and background checks.
Officers who are already certified in the state of Oregon could begin to serve the department immediately after hiring.
First-time officers would, after hiring, attend the next available state basic police academy in Salem – a four-month course. After graduation, recruits would return to Eugene for another four months of field training. Those are certification standards for all officers in Oregon.
One difference between UOPD police and other officers in the state: currently, UO police officers may not carry guns.
The UO has not yet requested arming authority for UO police from the State Board of Higher Education. Following state legislative approval of campus police departments in 2011, the state board decided that any Oregon University System schools with their own police would need to seek board approval to arm officers. The UO is the only school thus far to create a state-certified police department, though Portland State University is considering a transition to a campus police department, and has also discussed the possibility of seeking arming approval.
UOPD's unarmed status is an anomaly nationally. Not only are U.S. municipal, county, state and federal law enforcement agencies armed as a norm, but police on large college campuses typically are as well. The UO is the only member of the Pac 12 Conference and the only member of the 61-school Association of American Universities without an armed campus police department. Nationally, of schools with more than 15,000 students, only Oregon and Portland State lack armed campus police.
UOPD currently has 11 sworn, commissioned police officers, all in supervisory roles (sergeant and above) including McDermed and Captain Pete Deshpande. Public safety officers, a state-recognized law enforcement position of less authority than police, handle the bulk of patrol and response for UO properties. Over a transition of roughly six years, public safety officer positions will be replaced with sworn, certified police.
For more information on UOPD, call 541-346-2919 or e-mail police@uoregon.edu. The department's website is police.uoregon.edu.
- by Kelly McIver, UO Police Department