A ride by an officer’s side

Wichita State Police Officer Michael Colvin sits in his vehicle surveying the almost full parking lot before him. He watches vehicles and people to spot criminal activity and suspicious behavior.

Colvin is on what is called a “directed patrol,” a coordinated effort by the campus police to place officers in an areas of campus that have had trouble in previous years. The particular parking lot, across from 17th street on the south side of campus, has a history of harassment of students.

Colvin works the first of three shifts that the officers are separated into. He rises at 7 in the morning and works until 3 in the afternoon. He and his fellow officers convene at the campus police station for a brief meeting regarding the previous day’s events and check their vehicles before embarking on patrols across campus.

After driving for a time, Colvin stops at the Rhatigan Student Center for a walking patrol, which the police do through various buildings on campus. Once inside, he checks the ATM machines for possible fraud-related tampering.

“People can replace the part of the machine that you slide your card into so that it reads your card information,” Colvin said.

Continuing to the RSC basement, Colvin briefly greets the campus barber and states that he will be returning later that day for a haircut. He stays vigilant for people on the “trespass list,” people who are banned from entering campus for previous offenses.

Colvin and other officers at the campus police engage in what they call “verbal judo.” This is an effort to deescalate situations without having to resort to force, in which the officers attempt to use reason and words rather than action to defuse situations. Colvin stressed that the police should be contacted immediately if anything occurs that a student finds suspicious.

“I would rather go on 1000 false alarm calls and have one true call that ends up helping people,” Colvin states, “Many people wait thirty minutes or an hour before calling us and by then all we can do is file a report.”

Colvin has worked at the campus police department since 2003 and said that he enjoys the atmosphere of campus and the community, but his job is also changing. Officers on campus have assault weapons in their vehicles, something that was absent a few years back. The campus police force is adding new officers as the university continues to expand, and is looking to add body cameras to their officers.

“I enjoy my work,” Colvin says, “I like to help people and be helpful in any way.”

Although Colvin enjoys his work, he says that much of his time is occupied with paperwork.

And at the end of his day, Colvin returns home to his three daughters.

At home, he tries to stop thinking about his job.