MSU’s new police chief may not have settled into his office yet, but Jim Dunlap isn’t wasting time making changes to the department.
Dunlap replaces former Chief Bruce Benson, who was the top Department of Police and Public Safety authority for 16 years.
And with progression in mind, Dunlap is upgrading the department’s community policing program started by Benson in 1987.
Dunlap plans to split the campus into quadrants, which will each be assigned a team of about eight public safety employees to patrol the area. The team will assist community policing officers already assigned to dorm complexes.
MSUpolice Sgt. Florene McGlothian-Taylor said officers are excited about the new team project and look forward to its implementation. Dunlap said he hopes it will beneficial to officers as well and community members.
But it seems students, who make up the bulk of the MSU community, don’t seem to share the officers’ excitement. English sophomore Nicole Anderson said she doesn’t think the changes will alter much.
“I guess it would help for their purposes,” she said. “But I don’t think it will make any difference to students.”
Dunlap also reassigned officers to work 12-hour shifts instead of eight-hour rounds. The longer shifts will keep more officers on the road during peak late-night hours and weekends, Dunlap said.
Officers seem to be responding well to the change, Dunlap said, though “the initial thing, of course, was just adjusting.”
With longer shifts, Dunlap said the department will be better equipped to handle special events, such as other events on football Saturdays.
Besides longer hours, each member of the MSU police team is going to see more responsibility. Three administrative positions have been cut and several divisions are being combined.
The changes help to compensate the 1-percent funding reduction the department saw as part of universitywide budget cuts. Dunlap said consolidation is preferred over losing officers.
Despite the extra responsibility, MSU police Lt. Bill Wardwell said he expects the department combinations should benefit the organization.
“It should go a long way toward particularly improving communication,” he said.
Dunlap said the advancements in the department come partially from promoting someone on the inside. He has worked with the organization since his graduation from MSU 32 years ago.
“From an organizational standpoint, when you bring people in from the outside, there’s a real lull in moving forward,” he said.
Staff writer Kurt Ludke contributed to this report.
Tara May can be reached at maytara@msu.edu.
