UPD looking for new workers

By: Chris Yow

Posted: 11/17/05

Jacksonville State University's police department is home to more than just the officers who pull students over for traffic violations, it's also home to the student security force and that friendly voice that greets you when you have an emergency - the dispatcher.

Granted, the officers are definitely the most visible part of the police force. And that's the point.

"In my job I want people to know who I am, so if they need me they know who to call," said UPD's Corporal Neil Fetner, adding that visibility is probably 90 percent of a patrol officer's job.

In addition to being the visible reminder for students to slow down and follow the traffic laws, they enforce the laws of the city as well as the state and federal governments, assist motorists whenever they have car trouble and respond to crimes in progress.

"You have to be able to handle going from calm, relaxed to high alert in a matter of a few seconds and then after the incident is over you have to come off your adrenaline high and go back to your calm, relaxed mode. That's something we have to contend with on a daily basis,' said Fetner as he related a comparison made by one of his officers that the job was "98 percent boring and two percent excitement."

And they have to be constantly vigilant and aware that the exciting two percent of the job could occur at any moment. Just look close the next time you see one of the officers bent over at a traffic stop talking to the driver. The position tightens the shirt across their back and shows off the kevlar vest they always have to wear.

Or watch the way they back up warily to their car instead of turning their back on the driver, even during routine traffic stops made on a student who turned left instead of right out of Stone Center's parking lot.

Some of the most routine calls, such as securing buildings or unlocking vehicles, are taken by student patrol.

Student patrol is made up of student workers at JSU who have no criminal record, are presentable and work well with the public.

"We like people who are interested in criminal justice because they can get a lot of experience, but it isn't necessary," said Fetner.

They look for the same qualities in their dispatchers as well. These students are the hub of UPD, ensuring that each officer has the information they need for the situation they are in and relaying requests for assistance as they come in from students, faculty, or other law enforcement agencies.

Two computers that sit on the desk in the dispatch office, link the officers in the field to the National Crime Information Center and the Alabama Criminal Justice Information Center through the dispatcher and allow the dispatcher to schedule building checks or write reports.

"At times it gets a little slow, so we can study - which is a good thing," said Shavetra Pendleton, a business major who has been a dispatcher for the past year.

There are currently 13 student workers at UPD. This includes dispatchers, student security and a few officers.

No matter the job, each position at UPD works on shifts. First shift is 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., second picks up there and goes until 11 p.m. Then third shift rounds it all out by lasting until 7 a.m. the next morning.

JSU is currently looking for students who are interested in student worker positions at UPD, particularly dispatchers. Any interested students should contact Corporal Fetner at UPD, 782-5050. They will then have to visit Salls Hall to fill out an application, have a background check and, if chosen to be a dispatcher, will have to attend a class to be certified on NCIS and ACJIC.