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What they do when they come for you
By Ashwin Raman
 Media Credit: Ryan Henry SCSU senior Igor Kharin has been a public safety officer for three years. He joined public safety because he thought it was exciting.
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Chris Hudson liked Public Safety so much that even after he graduated he came back. After four-and one half years on the force, he's still going strong.
Hudson, who graduated with a degree in criminal justice, became the first non-student, full-time public safety officer on campus this February.
"It was a childhood dream of mine to be in law enforcement," Hudson said.
Many other officers also plan on working in justice fields after graduation.
"My dad was in law enforcement, and I guess that's why I, too, wanted to be in law enforcement," Sgt. Chad Fischer said. The senior majoring in psychology explained that public safety was his first opportunity to be a law enforcement agent.
"Besides, it was better than the previous job I was holding before," Fischer joked. That job was working as a cook at TGI Friday's.
But not all officers are in it for the experience. Some just need a job.
"A lot of the officers here are criminal justice majors, and working at public safety is sort of like a requirement for them. And that's why they are in public safety," Igor Kharin said. A senior majoring in marketing, Kharin has spent three years working for public safety.
"For me, I joined because I thought it sounded exciting," Kharin said. "It is also one of the best paying jobs on campus."
He said that working for public safety had provided more variety and excitement than he thought he could get at another job on campus.
"In my time at public safety, I have always been assigned to deal with fires and fire alarms," Kharin said.
Kharin also recalled a time when he was called into Atwood Memorial Center to assist a person who seemed sick.
"He was shivering and not responding at all to anyone," Kharin said. In medical emergencies like that one, a Public Safety officer's first action is to call for a Gold Cross ambulance immediately.
"Whether or not his condition is serious or not is not the point. We can't take risks," Kharin said.
Too much excitement
But according to Fischer, working at public safety can sometimes prove to be a little too exciting at times.
Fischer recalled one time when a theft suspect tried to assault him.
"This guy was suspected for breaking into vehicles, and when we tried to talk to him, he threw his beer bottle at us. He then tried to run into me, but I was with back-up, and we were able to contain him," Fischer said.
The only defensive weapon public safety officers are equipped with is pepper spray canisters, and Fischer remembered having his ready. Fortunately for the suspect, Fischer and his back-up were able to subdue him without using the spray.
"I'd rather not use it," he said. "If I have back-up and believe that we can contain the situation, I'd rather not spray anyone."
Fischer isn't the only one who has encountered some rowdy situations. One of Kharin's duties is to issue parking tickets. He said that students have come up to him numerous times and showed him in no uncertain terms how they felt about being ticketed.
"They come out screaming and yelling at me. All I do is to try calm them down and explain the parking regulations on campus," said Kharin.
He added that there has never been an occasion where a parking violator has tried to physically assault him. "They usually get back in the car and continue yelling at me," he said.
Public safety work also gives officers the chance to experience investigative work. Hudson said that in his four and a half years at public safety, he has conducted many theft investigations.
"Theft is the most common crime on campus," Hudson said. He said that most of the theft cases occur in parking lots and in dorms. Once a theft has occurred, Public Safety conducts a preliminary investigation on the matter and then hands the matter over to the St. Cloud Police Department (SCPD).
Sometimes Public Safety is able to solve the case first. Other times, the SCPD beats them to the punch. But Hudson pointed out that there is a better chance of being able to solve a case when both Public Safety and the SCPD work together.
Working with police
Cooperation between law enforcement agencies is often not as it would seem in the movies.
"The SCPD ultimately is the (law enforcement agency) that will handle all crime cases in St. Cloud, but when something occurs on campus, we are just as important as they are," said Hudson.
There are also times when public safety officers need the presence of police officers to calm down a situation. When they do, public safety officers radio the dispatch officer at public safety's headquarters. The dispatch officer then notifies the SCPD.
Sometimes the SCPD requests reports from public safety to assist them in an investigation. Kharin recalled investigating a hit-and-run case in Q-lot where the SCPD took over the case from him but still requested his report and pictures that he had taken.
"Our report is more detailed than theirs," Kharin said. "I am not surprised they requested it."
But Fischer said working with the SCPD can be frustrating at times. He remembered an instance when he and other public safety officers contained an intoxicated student who they had to hand over to the SCPD.
"It took them around half an hour to come and assist us, and it makes working with them quite frustrating at times," Fischer said.
But Hudson, Kharin and Fischer agreed that the problems they have encountered are part of the duty they have undertaken. All said they have no regrets about becoming a public safety officer.
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