News > January 31, 2008

By Reid Larson | Contributing writer

Reid Larson is a member of the Wake Forest Emergency Response Team. He decided to participate in a program through which he had the opportunity to ride along with University Police Jan. 25, which happened to be Pledge Night. Through this program, Larson discovered a great deal about University Police, and the effect that the officers can have on campus life. The following are some of his thoughts which developed as a result of his experience.

The university is typically a very safe, calm environment. Safety and security are cornerstones of any community, and much thought and effort has been put into making the university one of the safest places available to students anywhere.

There are several times each year, though, where this stereotype flies out the window and appears to be replaced by an entirely different atmosphere.

Increased risk would seem to be associated with a night where many students push their boundaries in one way or another to celebrate life events such as joining a fraternity.

Whether this has an actual effect on the campus community and its collective safety, though, remains an interesting area for inquiry, and an aspect of campus life which is particularly difficult to gauge.

In my search for a way to get a better perspective on the effects an event like pledge night has on the campus as a whole, I came across a virtually unknown program run by the University Police, through which any current student or faculty member can apply to the chief of police to ride along with an officer for several hours to gain a better understanding of their duties, as well as the services they offer.

On a night like pledge night, I thought I would see University Police in top form, responding to stressful situations that would allow them to show their true mettle.

I was contacted by the department, and told to show up at 7 p.m. to meet the officer with whom I would be partnered.

I met with Corporal Jeff Holleman in front of Davis Hall, hopping into the passenger seat of one of the ubiquitous gold and black accented cruisers. Holleman informed me that we would first be performing a “perimeter check.” University Police’s commitment to the Wake Forest community doesn’t end with perimeter checks or responding to calls around campus. Rather, the police force has a finger on the university’s pulse in a way unparalleled by other campus entities. Over his years of service Corporal Holleman has not only learned the ins and outs of the university’s many buildings and grounds, but he also knows more about the campus history and the people than most students could ever hope to appreciate in four years.

His knowledge of the university’s history, not only as it relates directly to his job, but also to the important families of the area such as the Reynolds, Babcock and Hanes legacies, would likely impress even members of the history department.

And unlike the academic historian, police officers have knowledge of trivia and minutiae that can only be obtained by direct interaction and participation in the community.

For instance, Holleman pointed out to me the house of a retired professor on Polo Road, relating the fact that this tenured professor had a hobby of walking around campus and picking up trash simply because he could not stand the thought of an institution in which he took so much pride being dirty.

But all of this knowledge doesn’t come from casual observation while simply “making the rounds.” Instead, officers go beyond the requirements of their job description, and purposely involve themselves in campus happenings. Holleman and I stopped at the library during our rounds, visiting an event where gamers from across campus came together with members of the community to play on big screens provided by the university.

His concerns at the event were not only for safety and security, but also for making an impact on each of the individuals at the event.

Holleman sparked conversations with the participants, showing not only his clever wit but also his true interest in the community.

His anecdotes about his children and video games showed these concerns not to be some hollow ritual but the result of a true empathy and concern for those around him.

It’s this intimacy with campus life and history that makes officers like Holleman more than just protectors of the peace; instead, they are a true embodiment of the university’s mission of service of humanity.

Though I did not encounter the thrill-a-minute pace I had somehow hoped for during my ride with University Police, I certainly gained a new perspective, and a new appreciation for one of the fundamental pieces that make the university community so great.