“Having a cop assigned to our hall makes us feel like the police department cares enough about us to ‘get personal’.”
Southern Arkansas University utilizes the Adopt-a-Cop program to reduce crime in campus residence halls. This program assigns a specific police officer to each individual residence hall and apartment complex. In its first year in existence, this innovative system created an 84 percent reduction in residential burglaries in university housing and a 100 percent decline in burglaries in residence halls.
“I like the Adopt-A-Cop program that we have. It makes me more comfortable that we have someone patrolling where we live and making sure that we are safe.”
In addition to patrolling his assigned area, each Adopt-a-Cop officer is required to communicate with the hall’s director to address any potential issues. Also the officer will conduct periodic safety programs to provide important information to students.
“Having a campus policeman assigned to our hall shows how much the school really cares about the safety of our students.”
In an effort to bridge the gap between students and officers, the Adopt-a-Cop program uses in-service training and open forums to provide communication and feedback. Students are also encouraged to ask questions and make suggestions through the program’s interactive website.
“It makes going to the police department easier and less stressful. It also makes me feel a lot safer being in the building.”