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St. Cloud State University
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Public safety commends officer
By Joe Palmersheim
Published:
Monday, March 29, 2004
Media Credit: Matthew Kaster
Sgt. Muhammad Usmani has been named Public Safety Officer of the Semester for his top-notch security work around SCSU. Usmani received three promotions in one year of duty and is majoring in accounting.
They keep our campus safe, sometimes risking their own safety in the process.
Although some students might not appreciate them, most would probably agree the SCSU campus could be dangerous without them.
That's right, it's Public Safety.
In the big picture, Public Safety fills a need on campus to assist those in trouble.
Sometimes those hard-working individuals get credit for doing a good job. One of them is Muhammad Usmani who was voted Public Safety's Officer of the Semester last fall.
A native of Pakistan who has been in the United States for two years, Usmani has fit well into the routine of Public Safety work, becoming popular with officers and supervisors.
Third-year student Usmani has been with Public Safety since the spring of 2002. He was persuaded to join by a friend who quit soon after joining.
"I think I tried to get an understanding of what is expected of me as an officer on campus for public security," Usmani said. "I did my job and I think I take a lot of delight in my work."
Usmani has a flawless disciplinary record, said Chris Osgood, campus security director.
"Sgt. Usmani does a wonderful job. The award was voted on at the last supervisor meeting of the year, where we get together and talk about each candidate. It's more than administration which thinks he's doing a good job," he said.
The biggest change Usmani has encountered in coming to the United States has been the weather. During foot patrols around campus, he learned to cope with weather different from the warm climate in Pakistan.
"It's very different. It's very cold. Where I am from, it's not as cold as it is here. So, when I started working here, usually an officer is assigned to foot patrol, and that was kind of challenging for me to walk in that cold outside," Usmani said.
Community service is the biggest joy Usmani gets out of his work. Public Safety is the secondary responder to all 911 calls made on campus.
It's up to people like Usmani to answer each call and figure out if there is an actual need for assistance or if someone merely misdialed.
An example took place last fall when a student died in Shoemaker Hall. The first person on the scene was an officer from Public Safety.
"(He did) a very decent job in handling that situation," Usmani said.
As an accounting major, Usmani plans to return to Pakistan when he has become certified to be a public accountant. Before he leaves, he has to work in the United States for about two years to get his license. He plans to work in forensic accounting, which deals in fraud.
"It's basically dealing with office fraud and how to detect it. I'd rather call myself a forensic accountant than an auditor," Usmani said, laughing.
His biggest scare during his time with Public Safety has been dealing with an HIV-positive man who was sleeping on campus and refused to leave. Usmani explained that the situation completely changed when the officers discovered the man had HIV.
"I would not expect anyone to pop up on campus with such a high-risk medical history. It's very dangerous," Usmani said.
The man, who was not a student, was eventually controlled using a technique called a "box," in which the subject is surrounded by officers on three sides so escape becomes more difficult.
Usmani said Public Safety may not be liked by all students, but he isn't bothered by it.
"We do not control funds," he said about giving out parking tickets. "We are only enforcing parking policy, so if the university gives us enough space, with a ramp or whatever they are thinking about, I think it would be effectively managed."
"What I heard from senior officers was that 200 or 300 stalls were eliminated (when the library was built)," Usmani said. "It does make a difference. You can't just approach the problem from one side, you have to approach the problem from all sides."
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