University Police welcomed four new experienced officers to its department Aug. 31.
The new hires — who all have years of police training under their belts — are Pfc. Edward McDermott, Pfc. Swen Thompson, Pfc. Melissa Fischer and Pfc. James Runaldue.
Capt. Joanne Ardovini, who is in charge of this university’s police academy as well as training and hiring personnel, said the department hires new officers based on need.
When there are open positions, officers come from either the police academy or already have policing experience, she said, adding that experienced officers are more beneficial to the department because of their prior training.
“These officers have already been certified, and the entire process is much quicker,” Ardovini said. “A lot of times, they have an additional certification and a higher level of expertise, and that only comes with time and experience.”
Fischer said her past experiences have positively affected her policing.
“I worked in a very urban area, and I handled every type of call,” said Fischer, who has three years of prior experience. “I’ve come to help lots of people, but I’ve also learned to appreciate the ‘thank yous’ and become a better person.”
The officers also receive external benefits, such as lower tuition at this university, University Police spokeswoman Sgt. Rosanne Hoaas said.
“Working with the department has tuition remission benefits, and a lot of officers here use that benefit,” Hoaas said. “Some do it to continue their education or add another degree to their belt or use it for their family member who is attending college.”
For many of the officers, working for this university means adjusting to a different kind of policing if they’ve worked in other locations.
“It’s a younger crowd,” Hoass said, citing alcohol- and theft-related crimes as common issues the police officers have to deal with. “We don’t have the same call volume. The department here is smaller, and we’re dealing with different types of crimes because of the area.”
However, certain policing challenges occur in any area, such as a potential lack of respect for officers, Fischer noted.
“Problems have always existed, but the only difference is how people see the police,” she said. “There’s a lot of stuff in the media. … I’d like to be an officer who changes at least one or two minds.”
But while there has been growing negativity toward officers, Officer Sarra Daniels — who joined the department last November and has about eight years of police experience — said it doesn’t represent society’s mentality as a whole.
“You see all of this stuff on TV, but that’s not what the majority of society is like,” she said. “Some people don’t respect the police, but a large majority does.”
After her first week policing the streets of College Park, Fischer said she is glad to be working with University Police and continuing to do the job she enjoys.
“If someone picks up the phone and calls 911, that means they want help, and I want to be that person to help them,” Fischer said. “My co-workers have accepted me and took me in, and from what I can see, I love it here.”
