Ohio University Police Department is considering launching a ride-along program.
Ohio University students might not have to commit a crime to land a ride in a cop car if a proposal is approved.
OU Police Chief Andrew Powers is working to finalize a ride-along program at his department.
Pending university approval, Powers said he’ll likely set up a page on OUPD’s website where students and others can download waiver forms and program guidelines. There will also be a point of contact to schedule appointments.
Most police departments, including the Athens Police Department, have ride-along programs, but OUPD didn’t have one because of legal concerns, Powers said.
But Powers’ desire for the program was revitalized this August after a Ferguson, Missouri Police officer shot and killed 18-year-old Michael Brown.
“I think that would be a much greater tool for transparency in terms of people being able to ride with officers,” Powers said. “We’ve got nothing to hide.
“Anybody can ride with us and watch what we do, and watch our officers do their jobs”
The ride-along program is one of a number of “community outreach” programs OUPD has aimed to implement over the last couple months.
APD and OUPD also organized at least two “Ask the Chiefs” sessions with multicultural groups to hear concerns and complaints. Powers said he also hopes to reach out to leaders in OU’s LGBT Center and Women’s Center, as well as representatives from International Student and Faculty Services.
The Joint Police Advisory Council also held a barbeque in late September as a way for police officers, students and community members to meet each other.
Nycholas Partee, a freshman studying mechanical engineering and member of the Black Student Union, said at least in that regard, the JPAC barbeque was a success.
“It was a great way for us to connect,” Partee said.
But Partee said there’s still room for improvement.
And the new ride-along program could help ease his concerns.
He’d like to have more interactions with patrol officers he sees on a day-to-day basis, not just Powers and APD Chief Tom Pyle.
“If they were to bring actual police officers to some of these events, I thought that would be a great thing” Partee said. “I would like to see more police officers interacting with multicultural students and treating us like we’re just like the Caucasian students.”
Patrol schedules make it difficult to have officers speak to groups in formal settings.
“Speaking to groups is not everybody’s preference,” Powers said. “I think that the ride-along program would be a better opportunity for people to have more conversations with individual officers.”
Powers said he hopes the program can be implemented by the end of October.
Lauren Holland, an OU senior studying psychology and vice president of the Black Student Cultural Programming Board, said outreach programs like the ride-alongs are a step in the right direction.
“Consistency is going to be their biggest thing, just showing that they really care and they really want to build that relationship, and trying to make students feel comfortable on campus,” Holland said.
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