Campus police working to keep students and staff safe at Ohio State

COLUMBUS, Ohio ( WCMH ) – The Ohio State University campus will soon be bustling again as move in officially begins Wednesday, and the OSU Police Division has been getting ready.

“Our students are our bread and butter,” said Lt. Joanna Shaul with OSUPD. “We’re excited to have them back, the place is not the same without them, so we are constantly focused on being prepared for the students, having the best experience for the students, giving them the most safe environment we possibly can.”

Shaul said the division is constantly preparing for big events like move in and game days. She said during move in, much of the division’s work ends up being with traffic control and helping with directions. She also reminded parents to have some safety talks with their soon to be college students.

“It’s nerve wracking for everybody and we understand that,” Shaul said. “Communication is really important. Stay in contact with your student, make sure you’re reminding your student of basic safety things that those of us with a little bit more experience in life may take for granted.”

OSUPD and the Columbus Division of Police’s Joint Patrol Program for neighborhoods just off campus started in 2008. There are new cruisers for the program this year with badges for both divisions on them. Shaul described it as an upgrade for the program.

“I think we see that we want students to have that familiarity and they’ve built that relationship with us from living on campus two years,” Shaul said. “They go over to the city side and they may be less comfortable or less familiar with Columbus Police and its just a way for us to show everybody how really closely we are working together.”

Each cruiser will have an OSUPD officer and CPD officer working together. There are four pairs this year, the most since the program started in 2008, according to OSUPD.

OSUPD will also have a new police chief this year. Chief Kimberley Spears-McNatt, who’s been chief since 2018 and has been with the division for thirty years, took a new position at Clemson. The plan is to have an interim chief named within the next couple of weeks, according to OSUPD.

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