Officers and former officers of the MSU Department of Police and Public Safety celebrated 75 years of safe-guarding the campus Sunday afternoon.

Friends and family of officers were shown a video about the history of the department, newspaper clippings about the department and pictures of former officers taken through the years.

Exhibits of officers riding on bicycles and motorcycles along with K-9 units and firearm displays gave visitors plenty to see.

Richard Bernitt, police chief from 1960 to 1986, said there was limited technological options when he was a officer.

"In those days we had Colts and Smith & Wessons," Bernitt said. "You grabbed one, stuck it in your holster and went out and did your job."

Today, MSU police officers can be equipped with Colt AR 15 semi-automatic assault rifles, HK MP5 sub-machine guns and undergo extensive training.

MSU Police Sgt. Matt Merony said firearms instruction has changed dramatically. By using a program called Simunition, officers can replicate the dangerous situations they may encounter by practicing with paint guns.

"Training for firearms before was stand on a line and shooting at paper targets, boring," Merony said. "Simunition allows for anything that can happen in real life. You have to bring all your experience into training."

Some of the other technologies police had on display were a portable X-ray machine, cameras with lenses the size of a pin tip, wireless Internet laptops and vans that can serve as a mobile headquarters.

The vans are equipped with floor plans to every building on campus, safety suits and chemical reference books. On top of the van are green lights which signal a place for police, fire and medical to gather during a crisis.

MSU police Detective Steve Beard said MSU police try to be at the forefront of law enforcement.

"We are leaders in innovation," Beard said. "It makes crime fighting a lot easier."

Besides technological changes in the department over the years, change has come in the faces within the department. Police chief from 1986 to 2002, Bruce Benson said when he first entered the department it was 90 percent white males.

MSU police Sgt. Florene McGlothian-Taylor said the diversification of the department has been one the most important achievements in it's 75 years.

"It is important to have a department that represents the community in which you work," McGlothian-Taylor said.