Since 2007, the Southern Arkansas University System Police Department has continually been updating it’s role in campus safety by transitioning towards “Policing through Practical Partnerships.” By making these changes, the SAU System Police Department has been able to change the perceptions of its community members from one that illustrated the police officers as caretakers to a view that allows people to understand the authority and jurisdictions of the police department and places some personal responsibility back into the hands of the community members for their safety. The SAU Police Department has taken several steps to work through this transition and continues to strive to better the “Policing through Practical Partnerships” model it has adopted.
In the Fall of 2007 ,the SAU System Police Department, in conjunction with University Housing, created the Adopt-a-Cop program. This program was created to educate and inform University residents on the topics of campus and personal safety. The keys to this program is for assigned officers to conduct periodic safety programming, patrol their assigned residential college/area, and being readily available to speak with residents on safety related questions or concerns. As a result, the communication between SAU students and the SAU System Police Department has been greatly improved.
During the 2009-10 academic year, a partnership was formed between the Student Government Association and the SAU System Police Department to help address campus safety concerns. A decision was made by the Student Government Association that the university needed more officers and more outdoor cameras. The Student Government Association supported a student fee that generates revenue to address both of these concerns. Since the fee was created in the Fall of 2010, it has allowed for the hiring of a new full time police officer, as well as the creation of an outdoor camera network initially consisting of forty cameras with the plans of adding additional cameras each year.